As Inglorious As It Gets
by HollywoodGirl15
Summary: Hayden is the daughter of Colonel Hans Landa. She despises what he does in every single way, and in a last desperate effort to get away she plots a scheme to get away. When she meets a certain troupe along the way, how will they react to her? Raine/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note/Disclaimer:** _I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things.  
_

_Also, this is posted at another site as well under the pen name "cityxlights". I assure you that both this account and that account are mine. Also, any feedback is nice; I take flamers as constructive!  
_

* * *

"Are you ready then, Hayden?"

The mirror showed his reflection perfectly, but I think I would've liked it better if he had no reflection at all, resembling a vampire if you will. Glancing away from the trance I had indulged myself in, I stared at him expectantly. My dark brown hair tumbled around my shoulders, my blue eyes looking disinterested in whatever he had to sell.

He placed his hands on my bare shoulders, smiling at me in the mirror. My simple black dress stopped above my knee, and the heels added to my 5'5" height. Giving my shoulders a squeeze, he made sure I got up and followed him. I rolled my eyes, closing the door to my room as my heels clicked noisily against the wooden planks of the home. I followed his footsteps closer than I intended to, hearing the commotion building downstairs at the rejoicing of Zoller's victories. To what victories I was not so sure of, as I seen them as a dent in the country.

My footsteps echoed as I stepped down after him, and as the party glanced up shouts of approval and happiness ran out around us. Fredrick was being patted on the back, doused in whiskey. He grinned, his name being shouted out building up his ego. "Hans Landa!"

When away from the watchful eyes of others, they dropped their formal titles, too long and drunk to be pronounced anymore. They looked at me with curiosity, knowing that I opted to stay away from them and what they did. Hermann was the first to step up boldly and say something to him, and it caused a small bubble of hope to rise up in me, "Why did you bring your daughter down?"

Landa looked back at me, a smile tugging at him as he let it loose. He leaned in, whispering something in Hermann's ear that caused loud laughter to erupt. My cheeks tinted red; I hated being talked about like I was some mockery. I watched as Landa moved around effortlessly, mingling with his group and occasionally praising Fredrick. Occasionally he would glance over at me to make sure I hadn't escaped upstairs, that I hadn't dodged yet another 'outing'. Our eyes locked, glares exchanged in our usual manner. I took my usual seat on the staircase, watching as he mingled with his other friends. Were they really friends?

I watched them all carefully, not caring if I was supposed to trust them. I hated everything he did, hated the people he hurt. I felt cold in my dress, as if it was starting to all bubble up from my hatred. I wanted to escape, had to escape. Fredrick stepped over to me, easily dodging his drunk comrades and taking a seat next to me, "You're not mingling."

"I don't want to mingle," the words came out defiant, staring at him still like he made this happened. Fredrick placed a hand on my knee, giving it a small squeeze to bring my attention back to him.

"Your father is just trying to be there for you," Fredrick's words cut me like a knife, and I glared at him as I stood up. Taken back by my actions, Fredrick gazed up at me, a slight fear in his eyes.

"Don't call him that!" my French came out sharp and unkind, realization of my actions washing over me as the room went quiet. Landa was staring at me with a cold look, as was everyone else in the room. Pushing past Fredrick, I made my way up the stairs at an alarming pace, pushed my door open, and locked the locks once I was inside. Covering my mouth with my hand, I felt the tears threatening to build up again. I pushed them back, determined not to let this effect me once more. I let it effect me for too long, and now would be the time where I stopped. I was done caring about my perfect French and terrible German. I was a neutral among them, no matter how much they tried to drag me onto their side.

Finally around one in the morning the party and commotion died down, but with it came booming footsteps up the stairs. They seemed to fill the room and echo around me as I shut my eyes tightly. I was in no mood for the lecture or scolding I knew I was bound to receive, and I shut my eyes tightly as Landa's fists assaulted my doorway, "Open this door right this instant, Hayden!"

His English was demanding as he continued to assault my door, and I reluctantly stood. I unlocked my door slowly, hoping that he'd back off like he normally did. However that wasn't the case, and he was determined to get inside of the room. Once the last lock clicked free, the door was slammed open, causing me to step back a few paces in surprise. Landa stood in front of me, his fists clenched at his sides and jaw set.

Without asking for permission, he entered my room and slammed the door hard behind me. I knew whoever was sleeping downstairs was up now, and it made my stomach unsettle. I crossed my arms, not interested in whatever he had to say once again. I had heard all the lectures, felt all the scolding's. This wasn't new, and it was a cycle.

"Your behavior tonight was _completely_ unacceptable!" the short snap echoed and filled the room, his German accent coming out heavier with each word, "You are on our side, like it or not. You're my daughter, and you _will _DO as I say!"

Rolling my eyes, I dismissed his miniature rant and sat on my not so comfortable bed. He glared down at me, and I glared right back up at him. I was tempted to slip into French, but I knew that it would result in an even worse scolding. The rules always were that we spoke in English or some broken French on some terms when with each other. I didn't know much German, and I never really embraced the language. I always embraced my French side, and it was something that Landa had always frowned upon. Being the daughter of a Colonel German Soldier usually meant glory and embracement; for me it meant rejection and embarrassment.

It wasn't always like this; it used to be okay, normal even. My mother was French and my father was German, so naturally I was to learn both languages. I found French far more fascinating, and began to stray away from the German lessons I was taking. My father let it go, declaring that I'd love it soon and would stray from my French roots. Things didn't change, and it angered him a little. That didn't tear us apart though, it was simply just a small flaw in his plan.

Right before World War I was when everything began to fall apart. Mother found out about father joining the army, and she wasn't pleased with it. Fights ensued, and before I knew what was even going on my mother had stormed away from Germany, and I wasn't positive where to. Father kept it a secret, making sure I had no choice but to remain in Germany with him.

He changed after he joined the war, his title of 'Colonel Hans Landa' going straight to his head. I didn't like what he did to people, or how he treated them. The bond between us nearly all but disappeared, and fights and scolding's happened more often then not. We were currently stationed just inside of France, so that the Colonel could continue is duties closer to his latest victims.

"Tomorrow you will be heading into the city with a few of the men. Stay close and obey their orders, a new threat has emerged," he finally said in calmer English, and I stared at him with icy blue eyes. He waited for a nod, but I gave him no satisfaction as he let out a mumble in German, "Is that clear, Hayden?"

"Whatever," I mumbled carelessly, undoing the straps on my heels and laying down. Landa simply rolled his eyes at me, and headed back out to the staircase, slamming the door along the way. As the meaning of the trip started to set in, so did a plan. I couldn't stay here, not until that big ego of his deflated anyways and everything went back to normal.

Walking over to my closet, I removed my longest dress and a small sack. I filled it with a few sets of pants and shirts, deciding to add more things in the morning. Slipping the new dress on, I hid the sack at my waist. To my surprise, the small rounded out patch by my stomach didn't show much, and I bit my lip as realization hit me that I couldn't add much more.

Slipping the two items off, I hid the sack underneath my bed and out of sight. I turned onto my side once I laid down, and plotted how to escape the troupe of men that were taking me into the city. Knowing Landa, he would stick me with the smarter men of the army who knew every trick I had to pull. I had to think of some way to get past them and turn back down the path. I could attempt to head to France again. A small amount of doubt crossed my mind, but I was determined to push it back.

_For every negative action, there had to be a positive reaction…right?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note/Disclaimer:** _I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things.  
_

_Also, this is posted at another site as well under the pen name "cityxlights". I assure you that both this account and that account are mine. Also, any feedback is nice; I take flamers as constructive!_

**_Major spoilers in this chapter, but none that you probably haven't seen in clips online. This one involved looking at a copy of the script online so that I could get the lines just right.  
_**

* * *

Pounding fists jolted me out of my somewhat peaceful sleep, and as I turned to look at the door with glaring eyes. This was my normal wake up call, but today it wasn't accepted. I heard Landa's boots pounding away from my door, and I threw my thin blankets off of me. Walking over to the bathroom that was located inside my bedroom, I freshened up and did all of my necessary routines, then headed towards my closet. I pulled out the dress from the night before and quickly slipped off the night gown I had been wearing.

I flipped through some of my selections of clothing, and grabbed a thin shirt and thin black slacks. Slipping them on, I then lifted the black dress over my head and easily reached behind me to zip it up. Bending down underneath my mattress, I retrieved the sack that I had filled the night before. I slipped it under my dress and up to my waist, securing it with some string. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I made sure that nothing was obvious, and that my plan wouldn't be put into jeopardy. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and it made me thankful that I had chosen to get this dress tailored a half a size bigger.

Landa's footsteps began to pound up the stairs once more, and I rolled my eyes as I stepped out of my room. He looked up at me surprised, disappointment coating his eyes when he realized that he wouldn't get to pound on my door again, "Well then, I can assume that you're ready?"

A quick nod was all he received before he turned his back to me and began to descend down the staircase, me following him at a quicker pace than normal. He didn't seem to take it into consideration as he opened the door, and I was greeted by a car that held Private Butz, Sergeant Rachtman, and a few others that I didn't recognize. Landa and them greeted each other and had a short conversation in German, one that I couldn't comprehend well as they went back and forth so quickly. As soon as the conversation had come to an abrupt end, I was shoved towards Butz.

Glaring back at Landa, I carefully stepped into the car. Butz took a seat next to me, his gun poised on his lap as Rachtman climbed into the front of the vehicle, leaving me surrounded by the unknown members.

An unsettling feeling crept its way into my stomach along with the butterflies of anticipation. Butz and Rachtman were the only ones I'd have to worry about, these unknown soldiers wouldn't know my mind tricks. Keeping my poker face on and not allowing a smile to cross my lips, I stared out at the scenery as we departed from the military camp and onto the road.

We were heading towards the border, seeing as some of the officers needed supplies. This must've been Landa's attempt to make joining their side more appealing, but to me it was just another boring car ride from war zone to war zone. It wasn't like I could hold a conversation with any of them but Rachtman; they all spoke little English and their primary language was German. Rachtman was an exception to the group, as he spoke English very well. Butz was near useless, as he didn't understand anything unless it was in German.

We were coming up on the border pretty quickly, and to my surprise we stopped along the path. I heard some gruff English voices, and curiosity got the best of me as I dared to peek out just a bit. I seen at least ten American looking males with large artillery, and I quickly disappeared behind the safety of the car when I locked eyes with one of them. Before I knew it, I was being pulled out of the car gruffly and being forced into the ditch that fell from the road.

To my surprise, bodies of dead German soldiers scattered the gully, and a sick feeling in my stomach grew when I seen what they had done to them. I kept my gaze forward from then on, my hands on my head like they had instructed. They sat us down on our knees; Rachtman, unknown soldier, Butz, and then me. Standing in a circle with what I assumed was their leader in the middle, the one holding us captive gave Rachtman a sharp kick when their leader beckoned him forward.

Rachtman did what he always found noble and respectful, saluting the man in front of him, "Sergeant Werner Rachtman."

Their leader looked up, squinting a bit at the dull light and returned the salute, "Lieutenant Aldo Raine, pleased to meet you. You know what sit down means Werner?"

"Yes."

"Then sit down," Raine stated, but to my surprise it wasn't angry or spiteful. I stared at him curiously, wondering why he was so calm considering what his troupe had most likely done to the soldiers that laid around us. Most soldiers would be jazzed up on adrenaline and would be shaking, but as he sat there watching Werner he was calm. Werner took a seat in front of him, no signs of fear showing on his face. "How's your English Werner? Cause if need be, we got a couple fella's who can translate."

As much as I was intrigued by Lieutenant Raine, I was more intrigued by his group of soldiers. My eyes flickered to the one he was talking about, a soldier named Wicki. He was an Austrian Jew who fled to America from Saltzberg, then was drafted and came back to serve. Raine then pointed up the hill a bit to another one of his soldiers, and he looked familiar standing there in his German sergeant uniform. "And another one over there, you might be familiar with, Sergeant Hugo Stiglitz. Heard of him?"

Rachtman locked eyes with Stiglitz, and his name came into focus for me. He had been enlisted in the German army, and in return killed thirteen Gestapo officers, a majority of them majors. However, I didn't fear him, simply admired him for turning on his German orders. "Everybody in the German army's heard of Hugo Stiglitz."

The group of soldiers yelled their happiness, patting Stiglitz on the back with wide grins, "Now Werner, I'm going to assume you know who we are?"

"Aldo the Apache," Rachtman responded simply, and his group let out a laugh. I looked at Rachtman curiously, not aware of this group or their leader. Had I rejected war news that long that I hadn't heard of this new apparent threat?

As that thought crossed my others, I grimaced at how much I sounded like Landa. This must've been the new threat he was talking about. However, I didn't find the group a threat, instead I admired them for what they were doing. They were fighting back with vengeance, giving the German's what they had rightfully deserved. Now that the tables were turned, how could the German's possibly react? There were ten of them compared to the many men of the army, yet they struck fear into Butz who sat beside me.

"Well Werner, if you heard of us, you probably heard we ain't in the prisoner takin' business. We're in the killin' Nazi business, and cousin, business is a boomin'," Raine spoke up, knocking me out of my thoughts and back to the group that was giggling like school girls, one of them speaking up and yelling out an "oh yeah" in response. I tuned in and out of Raine's next speech, concentrated on way of escape with a soldier's gun pressed against us prisoners. Were we really prisoners however, if they just stated that they didn't take prisoners?

A map was pulled out of Raine's pocket and set on the ground, his eyes watching Rachtman closely as he continued his speech. Rachtman simply chuckled, looking up at him with humored eyes, "You can't expect me to divulge information that would put German lives in danger."

Raine let out a small huff, standing up and taking his hat off to run his hand through his brown hair. He took a seat again, glaring at Rachtman in front of him, "Well, Werner, that's were your wrong. Because that's exactly what I expect."

Continuing the rest of his minor speech, the sick feeling in my stomach began to grow. I knew Rachtman was too proud to give up classified plans that would put his fellow people in danger. Holding his hand over his badge, he stared Raine straight in the eyes, "I respectfully refuse, sir."

A hush fell over the group for a moment, but was quickly replaced when a sudden ringing rang out throughout the gully. It made my stomach jump and my heart race, and I was sure this wasn't going to have a happy ending to it. "Now if you heard of Aldo the Apache, you've gotta heard about The Bear Jew?"

"I heard," Rachtman said, and a glint of delight lit up in Raine's eyes.

"What did you hear?"

"He beats German soldiers with a club," Rachtman replied, looking at Raine like he had gone insane. We had all heard the stories of the tremendous Bear Jew and his tactics. They made my stomach twist in an uncertain way as I recalled all the stories that I had once dubbed as fairytales and nightmares.

"He bashes their brains in with a baseball bat, is what he does," Raine clarified, and the ringing seemed to time everything. Raine's statement had made my stomach twist even more violently, and I was sure I was bound to throw up from the anxiety of the situation. Raine's voice broke through the ringing once more, low and harsh as he gave Rachtman one more chance to tell him what he wanted to know. Rachtman looked around at the group, then brought his gaze back to Raine.

"Fuck you and your Jew dogs," his voice rang loud and clear, and for a second everything stopped in me as the soldiers doubled over in laughter, not once effected by his words. Raine chuckled, tucking the map back up as he stood.

"Actually Werner, we're all tickled you said that. Frankly, watchin' Donny beat Nazi's to death is the closest we ever get to goin' to the movies. DONNY!" Raine shouted, a laugh held in his tone as Rachtman watched him.

"Yeah?" a voice came from within a large archway, and to my surprise it didn't sound gruff or angry. Instead, his voice was a normal tone with a hint of playfulness to it, as well as a small amount of anger for being disrupted from his previous engagement.

"Got a German here wants to die for his country. Oblige him," Raine's voice rang out, dragging the word 'oblige' out slightly. It made everything in me begin to pound again, fearful for what was about to become of Rachtman as the ringing began to get louder, closer. Rachtman didn't look away from the archway, ready to meet this Bear Jew head on.

He didn't have to wait long, the one they called 'Donny' stepped into the dim light outside. He held a bat in his hand, swinging it idly at his side as he glared at Rachtman. He rested his bat on the side of Rachtman's head, measuring him up a few times before the sound of the bat echoed around the gully, my eyes going wide as 'Donny' didn't let up on the beating.

"About now, I'd be shittin' my pants if I was you," our captor said from behind Butz, a giggle obvious in his voice as the events took place. Butz, unknown soldier, and I were forced to watch the demolish of the once proud German officer, and my stomach unsettled even more, the edge of hysteria passing over us three.

Once 'Donny' as satisfied with his work and the hooting of the group emerged louder than before, he began to parade around, screaming baseball references as the adrenaline pumped through him. Raine looked amused by him, then turned to us three. Out of hysterics, unknown solider ran forward and was shot. Raine rolled his eyes, giving our captor a glare.

"Damn it, Hirschberg!" Raine snapped, then his eyes landed on Butz next to me. He pointed towards him, motioning him forward. Butz was frozen to his spot, dried tear stains still obvious on his face.

"That means you, cup cake."

Hirschberg gave him a shove, right near 'Donny' who promptly gave him a harder shove so that he was forced down in front of Raine. Butz was shaking uncontrollably, shaken up from the previous event as I sat there motionless, waiting and watching the encounter with interest. "You speak English?"

"Nein," Butz said in quick German, and Raine motioned Stiglitz forward to serve as the translator between the two.

"You wanna live?"

"Yes sir," was Butz's quick reply in German, and Raine let a small smirk cross his lips as he stared at the Private.

"Point out on this map, the German position," Raine said lowly and sternly, and Butz's arm shot out quickly, pointing out the German's positions on the map and muttering quickly in German. A quick translation later, and Raine was moving onto his next question, "How many?"

Stiglitz listened to Butz intently, then turned to Raine, "Maybe twelve."

"What kind of artillery?"

"They have a machine gun dug in here pointing North," Stiglitz quickly translated, and Raine nodded a bit, folding the map back up and looking at Butz. A small smile graced me as I stared at them, the situation seemingly resolved.

"Now you can't exactly report what happened here, they'd shoot you down. However, they're going to want to know why you were so special, why we let you go. So tell them we let you live so that you could spread word around the ranks of what's going to happen to every Nazi we find," Raine explained, a grin being held back as Stiglitz translated once more. Butz gave Raine a quick nod that told him he understood, and I bit my lip nervously. "Now say we let you go, and say you survive the war; when you get back home, what are you going to do?"

Butz mumbled something quickly in German, and the only word I was able to catch was 'mother', "He says he's going to hug his mother like never before."

"Well, ain't that a real nice boy. Are you going to take off your uniform?" he asked, glancing up as he was translated to in order to lock eyes with mine. His flashed curiosity, and I stared at him expectantly.

"He says not only does he intend on taking it off, he will burn it," Stiglitz said, breaking the stare down Rain and I had occupied ourselves with. Raine's small smile fell, glaring at Butz now.

"Yeah, that's what we thought. That doesn't settle well with us. You see, we like our Nazi's in uniforms so that you can point them out like _that_. Once you take your uniform off, nobody gunna know you's was ever a Nazi. So, I'm going to give you a little something that you can't take off," Raine said, pulling a nice sized knife out of his pocket. Stiglitz grinned as did the rest of the group, and both 'Donny' and him grabbed hold of Butz's shoulders. They forced him to the ground, holding him down with their massive force as Raine hovered over him. The rest of the group quickly descended from the hills, staring as Raine brought the knife to Butz's forehead. A minute or so later, they all leaned in closer, inspecting the job that their leader had just done.

"You know Lieutenant, your getting pretty good at that," 'Donny' said, a grin coming to his face as he stared at whatever marking they had just put onto poor Butz. They let him up, watching as he scampered away quickly. When he turned however, I caught sight of the symbol he had once held in such high regards etched into his forehead.

"You know how get to Carnegie Hall, don't cha? Practice," Raine said, and the whole troupe broke into wide amounts of laughter, and it seemed to echo off of every rock and hill that sat around me. When their laughter finally died down, Raine's gaze met mine once more.

"Hirschberg, bring me the girl."


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note/Disclaimer:** _I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things. __Also, this is posted at another site as well under the pen name "cityxlights". I assure you that both this account and that account are mine. Also, any feedback is nice; I take flamers as constructive!_

_A/N 2: I'm not too sure about this one, I tried to keep them in character. Let me know (:_

_

* * *

_I didn't object when Hirschberg pushed me up, and I trusted my legs not to shake as I walked up to Raine. The group was hyped up on adrenaline, each of them smiling from ear to ear. Raine's eyes were locked with mine the whole time, and as I kneeled in front of him our gaze didn't break. Something about his gaze made my stomach jump in a weird way, almost nervously, yet his gaze wasn't threatening me at all. The rest of his group looked at the exchange with just as much curiosity that filled Raine's eyes, and I finally broke the stare to glance at Butz's blood on his knife, "You speak English?"

"Preferably," I said, making sure to thicken the French accent that liked to come through when I was upset. Everyone exchanged glances, and Raine looked stunned by my accent.

"A French Nazi? Now…that's unusual," he stuttered over his words for a moment, handing his knife to the skittish looking man next to him. The man took the knife, wiping it clean on a random shirt before handing it back to Raine. His eyes didn't move from mine, and my stomach began to flip in an unsettling manor. If he had already found out what he wanted to hear from Butz, then what was he going to do with me? For a minute, Rachtman's demise ran through my mind, and I involuntarily shivered. Stiglitz's hand ran across my forehead, sweeping the bangs away from it. Raine's fingers ran over his knife, almost trembling as our gaze still didn't leave each others. "Well, I guess it don't matter if you're rare; we're labeling every Nazi or disposing of them."

He broke the gaze for the first time, lifting the knife up a bit as I began to feel pressure against my shoulders. On instinct I struggled against them, managing to knock Stiglitz off of them, "Wait!"

Everyone in the party froze, everyone's gaze turning toward me unsurely. I appeared to be the only one even remotely courageous enough to stand up to them, and to my surprise they weren't entertained by the fact. They all looked quite stunned, and a few of the guys gripped their guns tighter. I knew this might be the only chance I get to explain, the only chance for escape from Landa, "I'm not a French Nazi."

"Then just what in the hell were you doing with a bunch of Nazi's then, huh?!" Donny's voice snapped through the gully, and I could hear him smacking the bat idly against the grass, waiting and anticipating Raine's orders. Another involuntary shiver ran through me, and it seemed to give the group some leverage as they all grinned widely.

"I want to join you," I said quickly, every grin diminished on the soldier's faces, and Raine looked at me quizzically. He smelled of snuff, and it was a smell that made my senses glare.

"And why in the hell would we let you do that?" his voice broke the silence, everyone in his group nodding in agreement.

"I know where most of the German camps are set up," I responded rather quickly, and a chuckle escaped Donny's lips. Raine's hand rose, silencing him as he studied my face again, "Brand me what you wish, as long as it's not that symbol that I greatly am against."

A laughter erupted among the group, and even Raine let out a chuckle. I didn't like how this was turning out, and something told me that I would've been better off trying to beg Landa to stay with him, "Little girl, do you even know who the fuck we are?"

Chuckles rose from a few of the group, and that question caught me by surprise. It was a question I was hoping that none of them would ask, but now I had to think of something quickly. I ran through all the names in my mind that I had heard over the past few months, but their faces never went with a name. Shaking my head, I tried to think of a somewhat logical explanation for my lack of knowledge, "I don't. I've blocked out most war news to the dismay of my father."

"So if you don't know who we are and you've never ever heard of us, then what makes you so sure you want to join us?" Raine's voice snapped impatiently, our little talk obviously interrupting whatever plans he was already behind in.

"You're giving the Nazi's what they deserve. Quite personally, I'm sick of the way they treat people," I responded, my eyes flashing as anger replaced my nervous look. Raine eyed me up, almost as if he was trying to debate if I was worth his time, if I was really telling the truth or not.

"I'll make a deal with ya, since I can tell that you ain't going to give up that easily," Raine started out, nodding to Hirschberg to let my shoulder go. He did what he was told, and my shoulder immediately stung from where he had previous gripped. Raine smirked down at his blade as it glinted in the now sunlight, and an unsettling feeling filled me again. "If you don't grimace, wince, cry, make eyes, or do whatever the fuck else it is when you're in pain the entire branding, than you can join the Basterds."

A slow grin fell over all of their faces as they gathered around me like they had Butz, and Raine grabbed my wrist tightly. He flipped my hand palm side up so that my wrist was facing him. He lowered the edge of the blade to it, and I felt everything start to race once more. I felt Raine press down on the blade more, and it took everything I had not to show any signs of pain as the cool blade moved in a line down my wrist. He removed it before making four more strokes, each one deeper and more painful than the first, begging me to break. Pulling the knife back completely, he snapped at the skittish man again, and the guy handed him a piece of cloth that was soaked with something. As he placed it on my wrist, it felt like a fire had been lit inside it. I kept my poker face strong, knowing that this very well might be my only chance at escape. Raine pulled back the piece of cloth, a slow grin forming on his face, "Well boys, it seems I was wrong."

A murmur rang out in protest among the group, but Raine silenced them as he stood up. Cleaning his blade off once more, he offered his hand down to me. I shakily took it with my good wrist, somewhat afraid to look at the marking on my wrist. "Looks like we've got a new recruit boys."

Pulling me up, I nearly stumbled from the dizziness. The pain that was pounding in my wrist was nauseating, and it took everything I had to try and focus on something else. I was seeing two of Donny, and I was sure a weak groan was going to escape my lips. Shutting my eyes tightly for a moment, I pushed the feeling down enough so that I could at least stand it. I reopened my eyes, catching site of Donny's chest in front of my face. I swallowed hard, slowly bringing up my gaze to stare at his hate filled eyes.

His eyes bore into me, and I shivered a bit at the intense look. I knew what he had already dubbed me; _Traitor_. His hands gripped his beloved bat tighter, ready to strike at any time that I stepped out of line. Donny didn't seem too gentle at all, his hating exterior radiating off of him like a hurricane. He glanced at my wrist in detest, bumping it as he walked by. I took a sharp intake of breath, but other than that reacted in no way that they would've deemed unsuitable.

I had to prove I could fit in.

A few of the guys glared holes into me, not keen on the fact that I had just been initiated in. I glanced at their wrists briefly, seeing no signs of any kind of markings. My stomach flipped nervously, not wanting to sit there any longer and be under fire by their eyes.

Ducking my head a little, I walked around the gully a bit. As I passed Rachtman, I made sure to close my eyes out of respect. Witnessing his demise once was enough, and even though I wasn't fond of him it made my stomach turn. I nearly bumped into the skittish man, and I looked up at him quickly. A half smirk graced his face, and something about his presence was oddly soothing.

"Don't mind Donny, he just doesn't like new people," he said softly and lowly, making sure that said person couldn't hear him. Following his gaze, I caught sight of Donny beating on a few rocks, his muscles tensing then relaxing with each blow. I closed my eyes, then quickly opened them as images of Rachtman passed behind them. "So, do you have a name stranger?"

"Hayden Alana," I responded, briefly holding out my hand. He took my hand, giving it a small squeeze as well as a smile.

"Smithson Utivich, most of the guys just call me Utivich though," he responded with a wider smile, and I returned it with one of my own. I gave our interlocked hands a squeeze, and Utivich pulled his hand back first. I let mine drop to my side, and began to search the area a little bit more. I could feel a pair of eyes boring into my back, and I looked over my shoulder to find Raine glaring daggers at me.

Most of the group had turned back to their previous activities while both Donny and Raine glared at me, judging me with their eyes as I disappeared into the archway that Donny had emerged from…where the ringing had timed everything like a pendulum.

Pushing the thoughts out of my head, I reached behind my back and undid the zipper to my dress. As I began to shrug out of it, a loud voice boomed inside the archway, nearly making me scream, "Hey Princess, stop hiding and get your ass out here. We're going."

Hurriedly dropping the dress and stepping out of it, I quickly made my way out of the cave and gave an embarrassed smile to the group as Raine rolled his eyes openly at me. The chilly air hit my now bare arms, and I bit my lip as I rubbed at them. We all began to head up the gully, and Stiglitz's arm shot out in front of me. Stumbling a bit, I quickly regained my balance and looked at him as everyone else began to disappear behind the bridge at the top of the hill.

"I'm not stupid, Hayden. So, are you doing your father's spying work now?" his words surprised me, and I swallowed hard as he got closer to my face. I had met Stiglitz's once before when he was still loyal to the army. My father and him exchanged heated words and glances in German, and I was lost in translation like so many times before. He had seen me and rose his voice at Landa even more. Doors were slammed, and two weeks later Stiglitz went on his killing spree of German officers.

"I'm not doing anyone's dirty work," I said sternly, and made to pass him. Stiglitz grabbed my arm hard, making sure that he grabbed my cut into wrist. I held back a scream, looking up into Stiglitz's hate filled eyes.

"I don't believe you for a second, especially underneath Landa's clutches. You fuck up this team, Hayden, and I'll be the first to blow your whole cover," Stiglitz said lowly, releasing my wrist hard and almost causing me to tumble backwards. I struggled to catch up with them, but within a few strides I was at the top of the hill and fully caught up with Utivich who was trailing behind. Once he caught sight of me, he gave me a slight smile.

We continued down the dirt path for a mile or so until we came upon a beat up truck. From the sleeping bags and such that were inside, I knew this was their claim. Donny was arguing with Raine towards the front of the truck, and the end of the argument resulted in Donny storming towards me, my breath catching as I watched his bat carefully, "Raine wants you up front, bitch."

Brushing past me quite briskly, I stumbled out of his way. Making my way towards the front of the truck, a light drizzle began to fall. Glancing at the groaning group, I opened up the door and climbed into the uncomfortable passenger seat. Raine glanced over at me briefly, setting his snuff on the seat between us as he slammed his door shut. Bringing the vehicle to life, Raine attempted to turn the headlights on to no avail, and pressed on the gas pedal. The truck gave a lurch, then began descending down the now muddy road.

As it groaned underneath the weight of everyone inside, I glanced down at my wrist, my eyes going wide once I seen what was etched into it. A red sharp 'B' was staring back at me, causing everything in me to pound. I caught Raine glance at me out of the corner of his eye, a slow grin forming on his face, "Welcome to the Basterds."


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note/Disclaimer:** _I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things. Also, this is posted at another site as well under the pen name "cityxlights". I assure you that both this account and that account are mine. Also, any feedback is nice; I take flamers as constructive!_

_A/N 2: Parts that are in italics in this chapter are Donny's Point Of View. _

* * *

Raine's words echoed around me for a moment, and I was immediately lost to hysteria for a few good minutes. When I finally brought myself out of it, we hit a pretty huge bump in the mud that nearly made my head smash against the plastic roof above me. The rain was pouring down heavily by now, and it made it hard to see the already muddy road. The front seat was awkward and quiet, a chilly breeze blowing through it that I wasn't sure if it was imaginary or real. I didn't know why Raine had wanted me up front when it was clear that this was Donny's place. Did he intend on me getting rough housed by the boys and not being able to handle it?

_I glared intently at the space in front of me, the confined walls of the back of the truck feeling as if they would close in at any given moment. My trusty bat sat by my side, loosely held in a fist that clenched and unclenched at the thoughts running through my mind. Nobody here was thrilled about this new girl joining the team. Well, aside from Utivich that is, but he was like a fucking dog; eager to please. This was a team of uncommon men, and she had no right barging in on what we agreed on. And she had no right taking my seat._

_As narcissistic as that sounded, I didn't care. Since this mission started, I was Raine's right hand man along with Utivich. We were clear on what we wanted and needed to do, and then some bitch has to become a prisoner. Well, not prisoner…whatever the hell we were calling them now!_

_I didn't care how much she flashed her googly eyes; she should've been branded and sent on her merry way. Instead, she's sitting in MY seat and probably brainwashing Raine. He was a sucker for girls like most guys, but fuck I didn't think it'd come to this. NEVER to this. NEVER to putting our mission into jeopardy. _

_Sure, I was quick to judge, but I didn't screw around. Not when I had made a promise to so many people in my neighborhood. I left everything behind, and now I'm here. I wasn't going to let Raine screw around with this mission either. This was serious business, and some stupid slut wasn't going to get in between. I was drawing the line there, and fricken putting up a damn fence if I had to!_

"_Donny, calm down. You're going to break that beloved bat of yours," Kagan commented, and for the first time in a while I glance down at my fist gripping my bat. Slowly releasing it, I let my jaw unclench with it and let out a held in breath. The truck groaned under our weight, and I was becoming more and more agitated by the second. _

The truck gave a lurch as it pulled into an abandoned building, and Raine turned the engine off. I could feel the truck move as the boys stood up in the back, and I grimaced at the downpour outside. Raine climbed out like it was nothing, pocketing the snuff as I heard a loud yell, followed by a thump. I hurried out of the truck and to the back where Utivich was now laying in the mud, a few of the guys chuckling as Donny grinned. Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms and looked at the boys unimpressed. Did they really plan on succeeding in their missions if they had such behavior?

Picking himself up off the muddy ground, Utivich brushed himself off and glared a bit at Donny, but it was a playful glare. Donny grinned wider, slugging his bat over his shoulder and shoving his gun into his pocket roughly as he stepped off the truck. The rest of the group followed, the last one being Stiglitz who promptly shot me a look. Diverting my gaze to the ground, I tried not to focus on what he had hanging over my head like a thunder storm.

_I stepped off to the side of the truck, glancing up when Raine cleared his throat. Utivich was still brushing the mud off of himself, and as I looked around Raine motioned to me. Quickly following his footsteps, the grip on my bat tightening slightly, "So what in the hells your problem, Donny?"_

"_What are you talking about?" my voice betrayed what I was attempting to sell, cracking slightly and raising an octave. That was always a sign of me lying, and I was pretty positive that Raine could pick up on it just as easily as my parents could._

"_Now both of us know that can't be farther than the truth. So what in the hells the problem, son? You've been actin' all batty since we left that damn hill," Raine commented, arms crossed and staring at me intently. _

"_That bitch doesn't belong with us and you KNOW it, Raine," I demanded, my voice raising a bit much to his dismay. Rolling his eyes, Raine seemed entirely too calm about the situation. "She's going to fucking blow this mission, and you know it!"_

"_Don't go getting' all bent out of shape, Donowitz. We're droppin' 'er off at the next damn town. Till then, at least ATTEMPT to be friendly," Raine said lowly and sternly. I watched his gaze carefully, measuring each stance he had. "Now until then, at least attempt to be friendly. Don't wanna be raisin' any suspicion now, do we?"_

_Mumbling to myself, I stomped off back towards the front of the truck, watching most of the men retreat into the building. Walking up behind whatever-her-name-is, I glared as she stared at the building blankly._

I barley noticed their heavy boots trailing away from me until I felt a small jab to my back, and I glanced up at Donny looked at me expectantly. I gave him a small nod, following his long strides up to the house.

Once inside, I followed everyone's suit and shrugged off my boots, watching as the guys easily mingled. I walked over to Utivich, giving him a questioning gaze which he returned with a smile and a small nod. I took a seat on the small cot beside him, giving him a weak smile. The building was just as cold as outside, but it kept the rain off, "You sure this is safe?"

Donny's voice was slightly nervous, and it took me by surprise as I glanced up at him. Raine looked over from his window seat, twirling his can of snuff absent mindedly, "Do you doubt me?"

A look crossed over Donny's face as the two locked eyes, and Donny turned away quickly, "Absolutely not, sir."

The room went silent for a few minutes as Raine kicked his feet up on a different chair, pushing his hat down over his eyes and crossing his arms. Glancing nervously at Utivich, his slight smile put my nervous butterflies to ease. Within moments the room lit up with chatter once again, this time a little quieter out of respect for their leader, "So do you speak any German?"

Donny's question took me off guard, and my eyes looked up to meet his. To my surprise, nothing about him seemed threatening now that he was in a more homely setting. His eyes were full of curiosity, watching me closely like Raine had to make sure I would tell no lies, "A little, but that's about it."

"You have a German accent though," Wicki piped up from next to him, and my cheeks tinted red. A few of the guys leaned in, eager to hear this new piece of gossip that had just been settled in the room. I even caught Raine peeking out from under his hat, anxious to hear about this new found mystery.

"I'm part French and part German," I said, and they all glanced at each other to decide if that was an acceptable answer. Once they all nodded, a sigh of relief was let out from me. Raine's hat went back over his eyes, and I watched as he shifted to get more comfortable. "Don't you think I should at least get to know everyone's names?"

Utivich and Donny glanced at one another before another nod was exchanged. Danny nodded towards everyone, pointing each out as he said their names, "Ulmer, Kagan, Zimmerman, and Sakowitz."

Ulmer had brown hair like most of the group, and he was slightly more stocky then the rest. Nothing about him stood out in particular like Donny did, and I looked at Kagan, then Zimmerman and Sakowitz. Nothing stood out like they did with the rest of the group, and I memorized their faces so that I could at least connect their names with them. They all went back to chattering with each other, leaving me lost in minor translation as I stared at them, trying to pick out a few words. Donny glanced at me, giving me a slight smile as Utivich rambled on, "He has a habit of doing that a lot."

"I do not!" Utivich pouted from beside me, and I smiled as I watched the playful banter between them. Donny lightly kicked Utivich's leg, and Utivich sent him a glare as he rubbed at his shin.

"So, how old are you?" Donny's voice rang back up, his smile growing wider as he loosened up more. Everyone's eyes were on me again, and I bit my lip a bit as I stared back at them.

"Twenty two," I mumbled quietly, and the chair scraped in the corner as Raine settled himself down, his back toward us. I eyed him curiously, seeing the eager faces of everyone else sitting around me.

"And you said you were escaping your father? Girls like you are usually wed already," Ulmer spoke up, and a tint of pink lit up my cheeks.

"He was uh…very protective," I stuttered, and Donny let out a laugh as he leaned back on the cot. He lifted his legs onto it easily, throwing his tanned arm over his eyes. Within minutes a large snore erupted from him, and I held back my laughter as I got up. Utivich looked at me, giving me a small nod which I returned.

I told the boys good night, then walked to my cot at the far end of the building. It was near the door, and I caught the drift that I would be the look out for the night. Taking a seat on the cot, I brought my legs up to me and rested my chin on my knees. Lightning was flashing outside, and occasionally a few rumbles of thunder would rip through the quiet country side.

Not even an hour later, all of the soldier's were passed out, Donny's snore the most evident among the group. I smiled a bit to myself, my own eyes tired and heavy as I stared out the slit in the door. It was obvious the German's had anticipated this building being a bunking sight for them, and my best guess was that it had belonged to the party that was diminished in the gully.

Thinking about it brought shivers all over me, and I absent mindedly rubbed at the goose bumps on my arms. Donny's bat coming down repeatedly ran through my mind again, and I rubbed at my eyes, willing the images away. Personally, I preferred the Donny I had just witnessed; the one who wasn't blood thirsty.

I wasn't sure how long I sat there, but my eyes were getting heavier and sleep was edging me on. I heard the sound of the chair scraping in the corner again, and the sudden noise nearly caused me to scream. My whole body tensed up, and I heard Raine's boots echo around the room. The footsteps got closer, and then abruptly stopped when I looked up, "I'm amazed ya actually stayed awake."

His accent was deep with sleep and a small smile passed through my lips at it. He wasn't from around here, that was certain, "I figured I was supposed to keep watch."

Raine chucked, taking a seat on the cot next to me. The cot creaked underneath his weight, and I froze as I waited for one of the Basterds to wake up. Nobody did, and I let out a small sigh of relief, "Ya don't have to worry bout them wakin' up, they could sleep through a bomb."

I didn't know what it was, but something about being alone with Raine made me nervous. A man that held that much power by just a simple command scared me, and for another brief moment the images of Donny ran through my mind again. Involuntarily shivering, I pulled my knees closer to me and willed the images away once again. An uncomfortable silence fell between us before Raine stood, walking outside into the misty morning dew.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note/Disclaimer:** _I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things.  
_

_Also, this is posted at another site as well under the pen name "cityxlights". I assure you that both this account and that account are mine. _

* * *

The doors to the normally quiet S.S. office were flung open, shouts in German being screamed behind them. Colonel Hans Landa glared at Private Butz in front of him, challenging him with his gaze. The news that Butz had brought was unsettling and disturbing, causing Landa's anger to rise with each word. Butz clutched his hat to his stomach tightly, wincing as Landa's voice rose once more.

"What do you _mean_ you have no clue what happened to Hayden?!" his voice screeched at intervals that Butz had thought were impossible to reach. Landa's fist slammed down against his desk, glaring daggers into the cowering Private in front of him.

"They branded me then sent me on my way, sir. In the mass hysteria of the situation I didn't dare to look back," Butz responded in quiet German, cowering in fear of the normally calm Colonel.

"I put my daughter in TRUSTY hands, and you couldn't even bother to look back and make sure she was fine?!" Landa's voice rose again, and a few German guards poked their heads in at the argument that seemed to fill the halls. Butz held in a whimper as he dared a glance at the furious Colonel.

"Sir, the situation was one big blur to me. I did what was noble," the Private offered, and Landa's hand slammed down on his desk once more.

Ignoring the stinging sensation in his hand, Landa's glare grew as he stared at Butz, "NOBLE?! THAT WAS NOBLE TO YOU?! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT, YOU'RE LUCKY YOU'RE NOT REMOVED FROM SERVICE!"

Butz quickly obliged, scampering out of the office with his tail tucked between his legs. A few of the German guards gave him curious looks, but Butz kept his sight lowered to the ground like a scolded animal. His heart was pounding wildly, and he wasn't positive of what scared him more; The Basterds or Colonel Landa.

____________________________________________________________

_A chill breeze hit my back, jolting me out of the somewhat peaceful sleep I had managed to put myself in. My hand lazily clunked against my bat as I opened my eyes, letting out a loud yawn and filling the quiet room with sound. Utivich didn't stir next to me, and as I glanced around to the next nearest cot, I noticed Kagan was still fast asleep as well. Raine was missing from his uncomfortable chair bed however, and that was enough incentive for me to push my legs off of the cot and onto the floor._

_Trying to keep my footsteps silent, I slipped in between Utivich and Wicki's cots and tried to keep my heavy boot steps down. The girl was fast asleep on the cot closest towards the door, and I rolled my eyes as I found the door open. Poking my head out of it, I seen Raine sitting in the soaked grass close to the building, yet far enough away from the road so that nobody would be able to see him. Lightly closing the door behind me, I stepped out into the chilly morning air and up to the grassy area. Raine squinted up at me, discarding a cigarette somewhere in the fresh dew, "You're up early."_

_Shrugging, Raine stretched, his back groaning in protest. "Wanted to sneak away without y'all buggin' me. Apparently, I failed."_

_His tired tone took me off guard, and I bit my lip as I took a seat in the grass in front of him. Raine looked more tired than usual, and it gave me an unsettling feeling in my stomach. To see our fearless leader looking worn out was something that nobody liked to see; it only meant that maybe this mission was going to be too hard. "What are you doing, Raine? What's running through that mind of yours?"_

"_What?" he looked at me confused for a second, and my eyes darted from the door to his face once more, "We ain't havin' this conversation 'gain." _

"_Yes, we are. You don't even know her fucking name, let alone if she's a traitor or not! You're letting a complete stranger endanger this whole mission, and by the time we get to the next town it may be too late," I snapped, crossing my arms and glaring at our supposed leader. Raine rolled his eyes, his fingers idly playing with a loose thread on his jacket._

"_Last time I checked, you was a bat swingin' Nazi killer. I was the leader, and I made the decisions," Raine mumbled lowly, taking his snuff out of his pocket and snorting two pinches before wiping his nose clear. I glared at him, starting to feel less and less like a right hand man that helped make all of the decisions._

"_Last time I checked Raine, you had a level head on your shoulders," my reply was full of spite and snappy, causing Raine to look at me curiously. _

"_Hells your problem, Donowitz?! I told you, we're dropping 'er off next stop. End of the fucking bullshit," Raine snapped, standing up and dropping the loose thread before glaring at me. Throwing the door open to the small building, Raine disappeared from view as I leaned against the cold stone outside of it. _

_Sitting there and thinking over our sure to be road trip today, I tried to think of all different ways to get the girl out of our little party. She didn't belong here, and I kept getting this odd vibe that she was a traitor. Wasn't sure why, didn't care why--I just knew. I didn't trust what she said, and I sure didn't trust her origins. There was something funny about a half French half German and I knew there was more to this story, more to this background that obviously Raine couldn't make his googly eyes see. _

_As I pondered over that thought, a chill breeze ran through the clearing causing me to involuntarily shiver. I hated the chilly mornings, and I knew I'd have to get used to them. Getting myself up off the cold damp ground, I lightly opened the door and stepped into the warmer building. Raine was sitting back in his chair, glaring at the bricks holding the walls together in disgust. A ping of guilt erupted in me, knowing damn well that I was the one who had caused his rage. _

_Stepping around the fact, I made my way to my small cot once more. Utivich was up by now, peeking at me from underneath his blanket as he looked at me nervously. The tension in the room was thick, and Utivich could sense things better than the rest of us. Shrugging my shoulders, I laid down on my cot and closed to my eyes as sunlight started to stream into the windows. _

_Omar let out a loud groan from his cot, the sunlight hitting his face first. His groan was followed by those of Stiglitz, Zimmerman, Kagan, Wicki, Sakowitz, and Hirschberg. Cot's began to creak, and it made my body groan at the realization that I would have to get up once more. Utivich let out a small yawn next to me, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. He glanced at me, questioning me with his eyes what was up with Raine. A shook my head, dismissing his question and staring forward once more._

_Once everyone was up and ready, Aldo swiftly moved towards the truck, hopping in the front seat and motioning towards me to follow his actions. A small wave of pride washed over me as I opened the door and clambered up into the vehicle. He said nothing to me, just started the vehicle up and stepped on the gas pedal. My stomach flipped in an unsettling manor, and I was quite positive that something bad was going to happen when we got to the next town. Clutching my bat a bit tighter, I chewed on my lip as I stared out at the scenery all around me. Something was going to happen, I could feel it in every fiber of me._

Glancing around at the scenery around me, I noticed that all of the boys were fidgety and nerves. I didn't like the mood that was set, and it made my stomach flip involuntarily. Utivich's hand was constantly on his rifle, poise and ready to pulled the trigger. Whether or not this was a normal reaction for the group, I wasn't entirely sure. I had been with them for maybe a day at the most, and I couldn't judge their emotions well at all. I'd be lying if I said that it didn't send a nervous feeling throughout me, but I tried my hardest to push it away. This was my chance at escape, and if that meant dealing with the unsettle emotions they all caused then so be it. Was it my smartest idea? Probably without a doubt not.

The truck tumbled over another bump rather noisily, and I watched as a few of the boys bounced around in their seats. I was hoping that the trip would be short and sweet, but from the look of the slow pace of car that wasn't something that Raine and Donowitz had in mind. Pushing the negative thoughts out of my head once more, I tried to focus on the small pistol they had entrusted me with. That gave me at least a little bit of hope that they were starting to trust me more, yet a hidden feeling told me not to get too close. They were renegades after all, and I didn't know what they would do to me.

I heard something hit one of the tires hard, and Raine easily lost control of the vehicle. I held in a small scream, gripping the bench I was sitting on tighter as I felt the wheels leave the ground, then my vision was upside down as the truck tumbled a bit, landing back on its' wheels. Everyone in the back glanced at each other, giving small head nods of confirmation that they were okay. Nobody bothered to look my way but Utivich, but I was okay with it. We all climbed out of the truck, everyone landing gracefully and quietly on the ground with the exception of me as I clumsily fell out of the truck and landed on the ground quite nosily. Raine and Donowitz had all ready joined the others, and a sharp glare was thrown my way by them in distaste. A few hand signals were thrown, then Utivich and Stiglitz walked up the hill, their weapons pointed in front of them. Soon after, the rest went by twos, leaving me seemingly by myself as I started to climb the hill as well.

The town was swarming with German soldiers, and an unsettled feeling ran through my stomach. I cocked my pistol, making sure to keep my finger on the trigger. I didn't want to risk being seen, and as the feeling grew I became more anxious. Before I could even begin to comprehend what was happening, the Basterds let off gunfire, and within minutes most of the German soldier's laid at their feet. Grinning with satisfaction, Donny reached into his pocket to retrieve a knife like most of the Basterds had. Raine grabbed my elbow hard, leading me away from the scene.

"Listen, this ain't gunna work out sweet cheeks," Raine's southern drawl mumbled sternly, and I looked at him confused.

"What do you mean?" the reply came out more confused than I intended it to, and I heard the gravel crunch behind me. Turning my attention away from Raine, I looked towards Donny who was bending down by a Nazi. A German Soldier who had escaped the gun fire was creeping up slowly, his gun poised to be fired. Without second thinking it, I pointed my gun in front of me, a loud shot of gunfire seemingly echoing around the small town as my hands shook.


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Note/Disclaimer:** _I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things.__ Also, this is posted at another site as well under the pen name "cityxlights". I assure you that both this account and that account are mine._

**A/N 2: This one might be a bit out of character for Donny, but I don't think it went out of character TOO much.**

**

* * *

**

_My eyes were wide with disbelief, staring at the Nazi that was now at my feet. Bringing my gaze to the trembling girl standing next to the wide eyed Aldo, I heard a few gasps from the guys. I was never caught like that, with my guard down. I always was on guard, saving the boys when need be. Now that the roles were reversed I felt foolish, and grateful. My body shook uncontrollably, hesitantly pushing myself to my feet with distrust. I couldn't concentrate on the wide eyed men, and I quickly walked towards the truck, mumbling to myself as the scene fell out of view._

My hands trembled, the gun in my hands shaking. I was vaguely aware of Aldo's hands going around mine, forcing my arms down so that the gun wasn't pointed at Ulmer anymore. Utivich was the first to let out a sigh of relief, giving me an appreciative smile, "In case Donny's too hard headed to say it, thank you."

I managed a nod, still not fully comprehending the whole situation. Standing there, shaking and in shock, vaguely feeling Aldo pry the gun out of my hands. I finally managed to snap out of my daze, watching as Aldo rubbed at his neck awkwardly. Hirschberg kept his hands on his gun, ready to pull it if he had to. "Now where in the hell did you learn to shoot like that, little girl?"

Shooting a sharp glare in Aldo's direction, I turned my gaze back to the bewildered troupe. Stiglitz was staring at me with his burning gaze, just tempting me to tell the truth. My emotions were so incredibly jumbled, the previous scene replaying in my mind. I wanted to run off and find Donny, make sure he wasn't mad at me and that we were on a somewhat good track. I was sick of trying to fit in with this group of rejects, especially Donny Donowitz. Though they were my attempt at escape, what had they been planning before that scene? Aldo said this wasn't working out…did that mean that they were going to kick me out? That they were going to leave me in this piece of crap town until Landa decided to come and look for me?

Stiglitz drifted his gaze from me to get up and go and try find Donny I assumed. Aldo was wondering around the town, looking for someone to tell him how many troupes lay ahead for him. Utivich sat on the ground quietly, watching me with hesitant eyes. Wicki was talking to himself, or at least that was what I assumed. It felt like I was in a fog, not sure what I should do. I had been frozen to my spot for the last several minutes, waiting for one of them to make the first move. Actions for the reactions.

Finally Utivich moved from his spot, walking over to me and laying a firm arm around my shoulder. He sat me down on a rock just inside the town, his fingers lightly rubbing at my shoulders. His attempts to calm me were working, and my eyes closed as I tried to push those images away. The image of Donny looking so vulnerable kept playing in my mind, and it wasn't something I liked. The powerful Bear Jew looked so scared and frightened, and part of me wanted to believe that I had done it. I knew I hadn't however, and I knew it was the fact that he had been caught with his guard down.

My thoughts drifted back to Landa, and part of me wondered if he ever cared to look at me or if he was extremely glad I was out of his hair. He didn't have anyone yelling at him, telling him that this was wrong. He didn't have anyone to lock in their room because they embarrassed him in front of his friends. He didn't have anyone there to cook or clean for him. So would he bother looking for me? The pros always out weighed the cons, and I knew he wouldn't come looking for me.

_I was slumped against the truck, a thousand thoughts wheeling throughout my mind. How could I have been caught off guard?! It drove me to the brink of insanity, and it sent my stomach whirling. How could I have let that newbie girl that nobody but Utivich knew the name of sit there and save me?! Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around? Wasn't I supposed to be the one saving HER?!_

_I heard footsteps approaching me, and I knew from the sound of the person's boots that it was Aldo. He never left me alone too long when I ran away from camp. I guess my violent structure drove him to be fatherly towards me, and as I closed my eyes I contemplated running away. I would be running away from the shame that seemed to pour down on me, and I wished that Aldo would just leave me be for once. _

"_Son?" Aldo's voice rang out clear and loud, and for once I absolutely hated it. I was so powerful, so feared, and yet I was sitting here slumped against a stolen truck because I was too embarrassed to show my face. I wasn't stupid, I knew that Aldo could sense it just by the way he simply stood there. I wasn't sure how Aldo knew, but he just did. It was a terrifying thought for me, not being used to being figured out by people so easily. I loved being a mystery, and I loved keeping people guessing. "It's okay that you were vulnerable. Everyone is at times."_

"_Easy for you to say, Raine," I wasn't sure why I was being so snippy with him, but I sure as hell didn't want his comfort. Not when I felt so embarrassed at least. Another silence consumed us, and for once I enjoyed it. _

* * *

The timid soldier kept his eyes glued on the troupes in the city. He was well hidden in a loft of an abandoned building, hidden from the troupes guns. He had watched the whole thing, and as he watched the girl closely he felt an odd sense of familiarity hit him.

Watching as the mighty Bear Jew scampered away with his tail tucked securely between his legs, the solider felt a strange sense of pride. _So there was a weakness hidden inside his heavy exterior. _

Clambering back quietly from the window, the soldier made his way down the loft stairs. He made sure to stay away from the windows, checking every so often to make sure that the troupe was occupied. Stiglitz and the leader had ran off soon after the Bear Jew, and this gave him a small boost of confidence. He clambered down to the front door, quietly making his escape as he looked back. Nobody was watching; he was in the clear.

* * *

Utivich's small comforting grip had relaxed me, and I was no longer concerned nor worried about the fact that Donny, Aldo, and Hugo were still missing. The longer I was around them, the more I was discovering that I was using their first names. I wasn't sure if it was professional in the army, but part of me wasn't worried about it. I decided to take my time and relax, considering I didn't know if I would be staying with the troupe after Aldo, Donny, and Hugo returned.

Finally, when the sun was starting to set, all three men arrived back into the city. Donny's eyes were frantic and nervous, and something told me that he still wasn't delighted with the fact that I saved him. It was a fact that was unsettling in my mind, but I had to remind myself that it was Donny.

"Well boys, it looks like we're settin' up camp here," Aldo's heavily accented voice rang, and the men nodded their heads as they got to work setting up. I walked back to the truck with Utivich to retrieve their sleeping gear, and I smiled a bit as we used teamwork. We could easily carry two bags each, Utivich normally carrying three. We had all of the sleeping gear set up within ten minutes, and it made me feel a sense of pride. Wicki had set up the fire, and Donny was out grabbing firewood. Aldo and Stiglitz were out scouting the town and making sure that nobody was left in it. The rest of the boys were hanging around the camp, going through their back packs and seeing what they could make to eat for the night.

* * *

The solider paced nervously in the hallway, waiting for Colonel Landa to get out of his meeting. He couldn't wait to tell his leader the information he had required while hiding, and he was sure he would be forgiven for letting so many of his troupes go. He knew Landa would be delighted in the weakness he had discovered, and he was sure that Landa would be intrigued by this girl.

So far the stories had only been certain that it was a pack of outlawed boys from America, nearly all of them Jewish. Now that a girl was among them, the solider was sure that this would change everything around. The girl was bound to be a weakness to someone, and he was sure that it wouldn't take long for anyone to notice it.

Finally the meeting was let up, and the brave soldier was let into Colonel Landa's office at last. Landa looked less than happy, but the skittish solider wasn't intimidated for once. Landa looked up at him, motioning to the comfy looking chair in front of his desk. The solider saluted him, then took a seat in said comfy chair.

"Sir, I think I've found out some information that could be key in taking down the Basterds," the solider spoke in quick German, and a delighted smile crossed Landa's face. He motioned with his hands for the solider to go on as he dipped his feather pen into the ink. "They ambushed the city where my unit was set up, and I was hidden away inside an abandoned building," a look of displeasure passed Landa's features, "However, I found out some important information. A troupe member snuck up on the Bear Jew as the Basterds were busy doing their signature trade mark. The Bear Jew didn't know what was coming, and all of a sudden shot rang out. Everyone looked bewildered as the troupe member fell to the ground. They all glanced around for a source."

"A girl was the culprit, sir. The leader looked bewildered as he took the gun for her, the Bear Jew booking away from the group." the solider looked proud of his findings, and Landa's interests were definitely sparked at the mention of a girl being the culprit.

"And tell me, solider, what might this girl have looked like?"

"She had dark brown hair and stunning blue eyes. She looked to be a mixture of French and German, and she was dressed in black sacks with a faded blue button up shirt," the soldier recited perfectly, but Landa's jaw clenched along with his fists. He dismissed the solider, giving him a pat on the back and telling him good job. As soon as the solider had run out of sight, Landa was up and pacing, his anger rising by the minute.

"So Hayden, you're the newest Basterd…"


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors Note/Disclaimer:** _I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things. __Also, this is posted at another site as well under the pen name "cityxlights". I assure you that both this account and that account are mine. _

**A/N 2: **_Some of you were wondering when the whole Raine/OC action was going to kick in. Originally it wasn't going to be until much later. However, a bit of subtle action isn't bad ;) OH and let me know if you guys are okay with the whole Landa in Third Person POV at the start of the chapter. Thanks! (:  
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Betrayal sat on a thin white line for Colonel Landa. It was one thing that Germans were among the Basterds, but it was another story when his own daughter was among the wretched outlaws. Butz had said that he didn't look back, and part of Landa wished that he still only withheld that information. Instead, his mind swirled with thoughts of Hayden in one of their camps, plotting with THEM and showing THEM where he was…

"Out of the things you've done, Hayden, this by far is the most despicable," Landa mumbled to himself through gritted teeth. His pacing had gotten quicker with each thought that raced through his mind. Each step echoed in his mind, causing his fists to clench tighter and tighter.

* * *

It wasn't until the sun had started to fade on the horizon that Aldo and Donny made their way back towards camp. I was seated next to Utivich, helping Stiglitz cook something on the open flame. He had returned shortly after he left, declaring that nothing was left in the town, and mumbling something in German about Aldo going to knock some sense into Donny (Wicki had been kind enough to translate it for me).

To my surprise, Donny didn't look upset or angry with me. In fact, he looked quite content. Aldo mumbled something to him, causing Donny to let out a small chuckle. For some reason, it sent a chill down me and made my stomach clench. Donny's laughter wasn't a soothing noise, in fact it down right terrified me. Donny sent a glance in my direction, and my only reaction was to look at the ground.

I felt a hand brush past my back, and my gaze snapped up to the smirking Aldo Raine. He nodded his head to the side, instructing me with his eyes to look. I looked next to me and seen Donny taking a seat. Biting my lip nervously, I instinctively pulled my legs closer to my body. Donny stayed silent, staring at the fire that was licking at whatever Stiglitz had found. Every once of me was scared stiff with Donny Donowitz sitting right next to me. It was an eerie silence, a discomforting feeling of someone next to me. Aldo had taken a seat next to me, the smirk never leaving his face.

Out of all of the Basterds, the two that scared me the most were Donny and Aldo. Stiglitz also struck fear into me, but he made no motions to hide his aggression. Besides beating Nazi's, Donny was mostly calm with a hidden secret always hidden in his eyes as he sat around camp. Aldo was always guarded, rarely raising his voice and yelling at anyone. Instead, he opted to have a secret smirk that always told you that he knew something you were obviously unaware of. It caused my stomach to flip in unnatural ways, scared of the two damage that they could easily do to me.

"You're awful quiet tonight, princess," Donny observed, breaking me from my thoughts and silencing the chatter that the other boys had found themselves indulged in. My guarded gaze snapped up to his smirking eyes, and another wave of fear swept through me, causing me to shiver involuntarily. Aldo let out a chuckle next to me, and I felt a soft blanket drape around my shoulders.

"Now quit it Donowitz, why you gotta go 'n scare the girl?" he chucked, and I instinctively wrapped the blanket closer to me as the cool breeze blew through the camp. Stiglitz had a bemused smile on his face, and I sent him a sharp glare which was returned with a threatening gaze. My gaze went back to the ground once more, my stomach flipping enough for the reaction of throwing up to nearly occur.

Donny glanced over at Aldo, then nodded as he got up. He seated himself next to Stiglitz, pestering him about when the food would be done. As if on cue, his stomach gave a loud growl that caused a small smile to come to my face.

"Don't worry, Donny ain't a threat. He's a big teddy bear," Aldo's voice said smoothly in my ear, and I fought with my natural reactions not to let my eyes flutter close at the sensation. His breath lightly flowed over my ear, and I could feel his grin as he pulled away. My stomach was sent into a tumble of sensations, and I forced myself up as I began to walk away from the fire to check out the town.

_I sent a grin over to Aldo, and he sent me one in return. We were determined to make the girl break, considering she was near no use to us. Today was a fluke, and it wouldn't happen again. I'd make sure of that. _

_Poking at Stiglitz again with my bat, a growl erupted in his throat. "I swear Donowitz, you poke me with that thing again and it's going up your ass!"_

"_Donny, stop being so fuckin' annoyin'." Aldo's voice rant out, and I shrunk away from Stiglitz with a grin still on my face. He looked up from the flames, nodding to Aldo that the food was done. Aldo glanced behind him, squinting his eyes and trying to look into the dark town around us. "Damn it, I'll go look for her. Next time we snag a leash for them!"_

I pulled my knees up to my chest, staring at the calm pond in front of me. It was hidden behind a few buildings, and as I sat there I realized I had two options; I could either stay here and try to make the Basterds like me, or I could sneak off now and try to find my way.

I wasn't stupid, and I knew I'd end up trying to make the Basterds like me. Knowing that I didn't stand a chance if I left was hard on me, but I closed my eyes and listened to the soothing water. As much as I hated to admit it, I felt safe with the Basterds. Not that total calm and safe feeling you got in your home, but a sense of understatement that they wouldn't let something hurt me unless it was one of them.

Even then, I was almost one hundred percent certain that someone would stop them. Maybe.

Taking a deep breath, I rested my head against my knees. The water bubbled a little bit, adding the perfect contrast to the fire crackling in the distance. My stomach gave another clench of worry, and I bit my lip nervously as a new realization dawned on me; What would I do once they found out that I was Landa's daughter?

Shaking my head away from that unwelcome thought, another shiver ran through me. I heard footsteps walking up, and I shrunk closer to the pond on instinct. The boots grew closer, and I held my breath as my stomach clenched again. The bushes moved, and I squeezed my eyes shut. "What the hell you doin' out here?"

Raine's voice startled me, and I fell backwards into the pond, coming up the surface sputtering and shivering. Aldo had an amused look on his face, and I sent him a glare as I carefully climbed out. The cold air hit me, and I shivered again. "I WAS trying to get some peace and quiet! You guys aren't big on personal space, are you?"

Aldo simply chuckled, looking me up as he watched me shiver again. Out of instinct, I wrapped my arms closer to me and glared at him, starting to walk past him, "Now are you sure you want to be doin' that? There's several very deprived men up 'round that fire, and yous gunna go in drenched as a rat and getting' their hormones in a frenzy."

I stopped short of my brisk walk, my eyes wide as I stared at the building in front of me. Taking in a deep breath and deciding to suck up my pride, I spun around to face the smirking Lieutenant. "And what do you suppose I do, Lieutenant Raine?"

The grin never left his face as he slipped his coat off, taking a step closer to me. I stepped back, and he stepped forward. One step back, one step forward. "Damn it, will you fuckin' hold still?!"

Biting my lip at his sudden outburst, I obeyed his command and let him step closer to me. He draped the coat around my shoulders, making sure to fasten one of the buttons so that it stayed together. I looked at him as he spun me around, keeping an arm around my waist as he led me towards the camp. "When we get to camp, I'll grab you something out of one of the boys' bags. You can change behind a building 'er something. Don't want that pretty little frame of yours being exposed, now do we?"

Despite the fear that should've been implanted from his simple words, my stomach jolted in an unnatural way. His words floated around in my head, but a sweet sort of melody had formed around them. Aldo's arm around my waist felt natural.

Trying to ignore the sudden feeling of temptation, I waited behind a building for him to return with some form of clothing. I shivered as I leaned against it, a million thoughts flooding my mind as I recalled each word. There was some underlined phrase that I wasn't catching. I wanted to know what it was. I wanted to know what it was that made Aldo tick.

He returned a few minutes later with a rather large shirt, and I gave him a look as he shrugged and turned away. I waited until I heard his boots thump against a log as he sat down, then proceeded to unfasten the button. The coat felt heavy as I pulled it off and gently set it on a rock. I slowly got my soaking clothing off, and pulled the shirt on. It fell to mid thigh, and I let out a loud groan as I realized this was about to get uncomfortable.

_Very_ uncomfortable.


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors Note/Disclaimer:** _I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things.__ Also, this is posted at another site as well under the pen name "cityxlights". I assure you that both this account and that account are mine._

**A/N 2:**_ Okay, so I provided you with two new POV's (: Aldo's isn't that great, sorry about that! Thank you to everyone's who's signed up for alerts and commented, it means a lot! So, if you would include with your comment, please tell me what you'd like to see. It can be anything from a point of view to clearing up something that seems foggy. I hope that makes sense! Enjoy!_

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Glancing down at the uncomfortable breeze that now hit my thighs, I let out an annoyed sigh. There was no way I was going out into the firing squad with this ensemble, I would get their hormones going WAY too much. Normally, I would use that to my advantage.

Within a group of Basterds? That wasn't the brightest idea anyone could have.

Looking around and spotting the coat that I had abandoned on the rock, a small idea started to form in my mind. Well, at least enough of an idea to get me to my stuff located by the fire that contained pants. Letting out a small sigh and biting at my lip, I pulled the coat on. It landed above my knee, and it gave me a small boost of confidence. It was one that was well needed, and I took in a deep breath before making my trip to the campfire.

Each step completely echoed around me, nearly numbing my thoughts as I tried to stay completely focused on the plan. Get in, grab some pants, run out. Simple, right? However, when you're closely watched by a group of men who hasn't seen a woman without so much as a dress since they enlisted, it could spell immediate doom.

I pushed myself to walk up to the circle of men who were eating their fair share of food while completely laughing their heads off at something. Not completely positive of the joke (or if I really wanted to know what it was for that matter), I attempted to tip toe my way over to my brown bag.

The one major problem about that? Donny was sitting on it.

Biting my lip to keep from screaming out in frustration, I slowly bent down to try and give it a small tug. However, just as my hand reached out, a rather loud voice stopped me. "Well hel-lo little girl." moving my gaze up the pair of legs and to the face I knew entirely too well, I glared at Stiglitz. All eyes were on me now, and their was no denying the fact that my hand was on the small bag resting underneath Donny. Aldo chuckled from the other side of the circle, his eyes highly amused and giving away a somewhat secret.

He planned this.

Glaring at him and standing up, I heard a few of the plates from dinner hit the ground, Omar choking on whatever he was drinking. My plan had blown up just like that, and it turned into a staring contest between Aldo and I, each trying to make the other crack. We were both looking for a weakness at this point, neither of us willing to break the contact despite the fact that all of the boys were now staring at us. Aldo's eyes were reflecting the fire, giving them a somewhat demonic glow. His stature was set with a knowing smirk, just waiting for me to make the move. Just waiting for me to do something wrong. Just waiting for me to yell, kick, and scream until I was tossed over someone's shoulder and into the truck.

This was a game of cat and mouse.

Utivich stood from the fire, clearing his throat and breaking our gaze simultaneously. He looked incredibly uncomfortable with the situation, the rest of the boys looking highly amused. Donny looked the most amused however, perched on his log with his chin resting in his hand. His eyes, much like Aldo's, sparkled with the fire and gave him that hint of mischief that gave you the chills. His shadow loomed behind him, and from the angle I was at it was easy to tell why he was called the Bear Jew. Like the smoke signals of the Indians that they always exaggerated picture books, it was almost evident to see a Bear-like shadow hitting the buildings behind us.

All of the boys in the group seemed to be entranced in the little stare down that had taken place. From Donny's smirk to Stiglitz, each of them looked curious to see where it would've went. All eyes were no longer on my lack of clothing, they were now on their fearless leader and his newest game. The predatory look never left Aldo's eyes, and I was sure if he had a tail it would be twitching in anticipation.

Stiglitz chuckled, breaking the tension that rested heavily in the air as he stood up. Stretching, he walked over to Donny and snatched the bag out from underneath him, handing it to me. "Now go put some pants on." a sharp glare and a push later, I found myself back behind the building, dropping the coat and pulling a pair of black slacks on. My head was spinning, the guilty feeling in my stomach growing for no reason whatsoever.

Shaking my head and trying to push the encounter back, I started my trek back to the fire. Omar and Utivich were absent, their sleeping bags unraveled. I took a seat at the other side of the fire, my arms and knees close to me as the feeling of walking into the gauntlet washed over me. The rest of the Basterds followed the other boys actions, until only three remained in the circle.

Raine, Donowitz, and Stiglitz.

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The stare down replayed itself in my mind, and as I watched Hayden's obvious discomfort, it gave me a small confidence boost. She wasn't fooling anyone around here, and I was waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike like a snake. I was still positive that Landa had sent her to do his dirty work.

There was no way he'd let his precious little Angel just get captured like this. And if Hayden really thought I was falling for it, then she was a lot dumber than I had expected.

The only thing that didn't add up in the equation was why she shot the German solider. He would've taken out the Bear Jew, isn't that what everyone feared?

"So tell us a lil' bout your self," Aldo's thick accent rang throughout the circle, and a smug grin found its way to my face as Hayden shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm uh, my names Hayden," she responded finally, her voice timid and quiet. Everyone eyed her a bit, the German name falling upon their ears and adding to her mystery. Donny's hand was running over his bat, as if entranced by the splinters. His eyes remained blank, almost like he was in some sort of haze.

"Just what in the hell were you doin' with a bunch-o-Nazi's?" without fully intending to or realizing it, I had leaned forward a bit so that my elbows rested on my knees, just waiting for Hayden to mess up. The giddy excitement that I near to never showed started to build up, my smirk growing to be a mile wide on my face.

"They captured me just outside the city before your encounter," was the only short reply she managed to give, and we all looked at one another. As unreliable as it sounded, Aldo simply dismissed it with a shrug of his shoulders, not interested in the lies. He simply relaxed back against his log, staring at the fire like it held the truth.

**Starin' at that damn fire all night wasn't gunna get me nowhere, but it didn't stop me. Finally having a name to the face, I glanced up at Hayden every so often. Damn girl was downright terrified, an' she had every right to be! **

**I wasn't fallin' for whatever famous bullshit she was spewin', but that didn't stop me from keeping a nice pair 'a legs around. After all, where was she gunna run? **

My heart was pounding as soon as the lie slipped from my mouth, and I wanted to believe that they bought it. However, my gut feeling told me that I had just slipped past the point of 'okay' territory to 'oh shit, what the hell did you just do?!' territory. I tried to keep my breathing even and not give off any hint of a lie, but I was terrified.

I knew these boys weren't naive, and yet I was still writing them off as such.

I got up from the campfire, heading off towards the truck that was now parked just a few feet away. Reaching in, I pulled out the spare sleeping bag and unrolled it along the stone wall that was the farthest away from the boys. Most of them were passed out sleeping, but the same three remained in the circle. It was almost like they were the ringleaders of some gory circus, ready to plan their newest form of entertainment.

My stomach clenched and flipped at that thought, causing my hands to go to it out of instinct. Once the feeling had at least somewhat passed, I crawled into the highly uncomfortable sleeping bag. I could feel each and every rock underneath it, but I squeezed my eyes shut, the pistol that I had managed to sneak back underneath my pillow.

Just as I was about to slip into the dream world, I felt something drape over my shoulders, along with a hand brushing my shoulder. Jolting out of sleep immediately, I pulled the gun out from under my pillow, cocked it, and pointed it at the person.

My eyes widened and I knew I had stepped over another line.

Staring back at me were the blazing eyes of Aldo Raine.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** _I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things. Also, this is posted at another site as well under the pen name "cityxlights". I assure you that both this account and that account are mine._

**Authors Note: _So I want to say that there's a good explanation for this being on hiatus for a while; the main reason being that I wanted to wait until it hit DVD. As I'm sure everyone knows, it's REALLY easy to get out of character, and clips online/scripts don't do the characters justice. So waiting until the DVD dropped seemed like a logical thing to do._**

**_That being said, I'm sorry it took so long to get an update out. I'm also sorry if it majorly lacks compared to the other chapters. I haven't written Inglourious in a while, so hopefully it's not too bad._**

**_Any feedback/comments are amazing!_**

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I tried to swallow hard, but my throat had gone completely dry. It could be evaluated as everything going in slow motion, or at least that's how the next events registered in my mind.

The pistol was smacked out of my hand, clattering to the ground several feet away from us. It came to a stop near Donny's face, and I held my breath more as I waited for him to wake up and charge me. He had been waiting for this slip up almost as much as Stiglitz had, and as I glanced over towards the fire I felt the breath completely leave me.

Stiglitz was watching me, a wide grin on his face as he realized that the moment had come.

Aldo's wrists pinned my own, his fierce eyes glaring down at me as I didn't even try to struggle, didn't even try to protest. What could I even possibly say? That the gun in my hand was an illusion? Yes, that would just in turn make me look even more stupid. His wrists dug mine into the ground, new profound hatred burning that I hadn't seen, even when I practically begged to be a Basterd. "Just what in the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

His voice was kept dangerously low, almost taunting me into saying something stupid. Though I wasn't sure how much more humiliating the situation could get, but with Stiglitz hanging around, the truth right on the tip of his tongue, I was sure that it was about to take a 360 turn.

Trying to find my voice, I inwardly groaned as it came out scratchy. "I thought you were a Nazi Fuck."

To my surprise, the hate filled nickname that had flowed off of Aldo's tongue so loosely flowed off of mine. My eyes widened a bit in surprise, but I simply tried to shake it off and find more words to describe the situation. None were coming to mind as my eyes darted all around the camp, finally going from the still sleeping men back to Aldo. My heart practically thudded in my chest as his sickening smirk reached my chest, and I bit down on my lip hard. It was a habit that I had developed whenever I was nervous, and for a split second my eyes darted back to Stiglitz again. He was still surveying, watching, and waiting for the opportune moment to strike, much like that of a vulture. "And just how in the fuck would them damn Nazi's get into our camp, hmm? Stiglitz and I was watchin' at all ends, just how in the hell could they even slip by?"

"Well one slipped by just hours ago. Where in the hell were you then? You surveyed the scene, and let one through that nearly killed Donny. Perhaps you just don't have the well trained troops you're supposed to," to my surprise, my French accent slipped out heavier than I wanted it to. I mumbled an apology inside my head to Donny, for throwing him underneath Aldo's suspicious eyes as I scrambled to save myself in this mess I had created. It had all been so simple when I planned it out…just get them to trust me, and from there it'll be blue skies.

Wow, how much of a naive fairytale character had I made myself--and the Basterds--out to be?!

Aldo's eyes glaring back into mine completely snapped everything back into focus with me, and I realized just what kind of situation I had gotten myself into. This was no longer fun and games, just vying to find a way out of Germany, and away from Landa. No, this was real danger and fighting to survive with the men who a great majority of the German's feared. This was not a fairytale, nor was it a dream. This was more like some sick, horrible nightmare that one couldn't wake themselves up from. "You best watch who you're talkin' to, little girl."

His words were low growls that sent jolts of fear through me. Sucking in a deep breath and holding it, his grip on my wrists tightened ever so slightly. Holding back a gasp of pain, I kept my poker face strong and glared daggers back up at him. I was sure the situation would look different to any one of the guys who woke up, but much like Stiglitz, I could only guess they could feel the tension. "Maybe you better watch who you're putting your hands on."

Curious eyes from Aldo, grinning eyes from Stiglitz, and 'oh shit what did I just get myself into?!' eyes from me. I had said possibly the worst thing, moved my chess piece into the wrong square. The cards were now in Stiglitz's hand, and I knew I was done for. The B on my wrist would mean nothing, the Nazi I had killed to save Donny would mean nothing in Aldo's eyes.

No, the only thing that would run through his mind was the word 'traitor'.

"And just why in the fuck should I watch that, Hayden?" the vowels sounded different in his thick accent, and I struggled beneath his massive weight for a minute. He let out a chuckle, and I heard boot steps quickly approaching us. To my surprise, Stiglitz's voice broke through the domineering silence.

"This isn't a discussion for the three of us. This is one for when Donny is present," he sent a sickening look my way, and my eyes completely widened in fear. My mouth went completely dry again, my heart hitting my stomach as Aldo got off of me.

I knew then why Stiglitz didn't intervene, why he didn't rat me out; he was planning on letting Donny's bat do the talking. Aldo grinned, nodding a bit as he stood and brushed his pants off.

"'Spose that's a fair deal," looking down at me, the two shared a grin. "Sleep tight princess, don't let the Bear Jew's bat strike."

With a few chuckles and laughs, the two walked off to the other side of the camp as I laid there motionless. My hand reached out, clamping over my mouth as tears pricked at the corner of my eyes, fear completely consuming me. My chest heaved a few times, trying to hold in the hysteric sobs that threatened to devour me.

For the first time since meeting the Basterds, I was truly and utterly terrified.

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The normally well kept SS office was torn to shreds, the man at the desk breathing heavily as he scratched off another route on the worn map in front of him. His hand clenched around the pen that was shaking against the paper, threatening to snap it in two in his frustration.

From this angle it was plain to decided that the Jew Hunter had met his match. His nights had slowly turned later and later, his deranged anger heading towards his daughter that was the newest member of the troupe that tried to destroy him. How his own blood had joined them was beyond his knowledge, but as he scribbled out the tenth route that his soldiers had marched on, he began to wish that he had kept closer tabs on the girl.

After all, she was the biggest threat that he hadn't seen coming. She knew every inside plan, every detail, and every little weakness of the German army if need be it. She was a ticking bomb, ready to explode with all his secrets. His teeth clenched together, his fist cleanly snapping the pen in two and splattering ink all over. "Hayden, I swear when I get my hands on you, I'm going to have you wishing that you grew up a Basterd…"

----

_An annoying cold breeze woke me from my normal peaceful slumber, and I inwardly groaned as I rolled over on the hard ground. My sleeping bag did little, but who the hell was I to complain? At least they had supplied us with them…_

_Crawling out from under the thin top layer that didn't do a fucking thing to keep me warm, I stretched and listened as my body protested. Nearly everyone was up all ready, rubbing at their eyes and mumbling curse words. The entire scene struck me as odd, and I bent down to grab my bat before walking over. _

_Out of all the Basterds, none of them got up before me, save for Raine and sometimes Stiglitz. Everyone else was more than happy to be graced with sleep until we had to kick them out of their bags. However, as I surveyed the scene closer, I noticed that Aldo and Stiglitz had each taken a seat on either side of a very terrified looking Hayden. Everyone looked just as confused as I did, but a grin lit up Stiglitz's face as he seen me stop at the edge of a log._

_To be damn honest, it was the creepiest fucking thing I seen since being here. _

_Taking a seat next to Utivich, my bat clunked against the log. Hayden's eyes immediately shot to it, sucking in a breath as she squeezed her eyes shut. Looking at Aldo with a raised eyebrow, he simply drew in his own breath and stood up._

_Don't fucking tell me he ran off and got our prisoner pregnant…_

"_So as y'all can probably tell, we're up pretty early this fine German morning. You can thank Hayden here for that, since apparently she has somethin' important to tell us. However, Stiglitz seemed to want to wait 'till Donny 'ere was present. Now, Mademoiselle Hayden, if you would please. The floor is all yours," his butchered French made me snicker, as well as put a few smiles on the guys faces. My bat clunked against the logs idly a few more times, an impatient hobby I had developed to keep me sane…if that was even possible in this tom fuckery of a mission._

_Aldo took a seat back on the log, his boots kicked out in front of him and crossed at the ankles, his arms folded neatly across his chest as a smirk graced his lips. It was unnerving to say the least, but something told me that they had waited for me to get up for a reason._

I tried to find the words to defend myself, to back out of what I had done the night before. Donny's bat clunked idly against the log once more, causing my heart to leap with each one. Rachtman's demise flashed before my eyes again, and I had to pull in another breath until my chest ached in order to hold back the terrified scream that edged at my lips. I opened my mouth, trying my hardest to find the right choice of words that would avoid my own demise at the hands of Donny's bat.

Aldo must've had enough of my stalling, as he stood up grumbling underneath his breath. "Oh stop with all the fuckin' dramatic pauses and get on with the tom fuckery! Since Mademoiselle Hayden seems to have lost that snippy little voice of 'ers, I'll tell about the beauty we have on our hands boys. This here is Hayden Landa, yes that little Jew Hunter's daughter."

Everyone's heads whipped towards him, including mine and Stiglitz, as our eyes widened a bit. A new uproar ran from the group, Donny's bat that had been loosely held now clutched so tight that his knuckles turned white. "What the fuck Raine?! You knew this entire time?!"

I should've expected Donny's voice to be the first to roar out, but it still shocked me with surprise as he stood up. His boots carelessly pounded against the wet ground, bringing his beloved bat over his shoulder. It started to move down, but in one swift motion I was shoved behind Aldo, a deep glare set in his eyes. "Now don't you be swingin' that bat, Donowitz!"

"And why the fuck shouldn't I smash that little two-timing bitch to pieces?! You put this whole mission into jeopardy, Raine!" I could practically hear the cracking of the wood, shattering underneath Donny's massive grip. Aldo seemed far too calm however, a sly grin on his face.

"Have I now? I won't be thinkin' so, considerin' she holds the answer to everythin'. She knows her way around the forces, knows her way inside the head of the Jew Hunter. What's that sayin' boys? Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?"

"Well…fuck a duck."


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** _I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things. Also, this is posted at another site as well under the pen name "cityxlights". I assure you that both this account and that account are mine._

**Authors Note: _THANK YOU guys for not totally giving up on this story XD If the French is NOT translated right, sorry. I tried to find a French one that was more reliable. Also, if you don't understand the little conversation/wisecrack at the end of the chapter, just let me know! (: OH! And also let me know if this was out of character at all!_**

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My eyes stayed locked on Donny as his bat still laid in his hand. I was standing on my tippy toes by now, trying to peer over Raine's shoulder as I bit down on my lip. His 5'11" height easily upped my 5'5". Donny was breathing shallowly, him and Aldo in some sort of intense stare down. I could only guess that his knowing of my history wasn't going over well, and I was suddenly trying to remember how to breathe.

"I know what you're all thinking, I can sense it. I'm…I'm not a spy or traitor or anything like that," the small squeak in my voice surprised everyone, and Raine turned around to look at me. His eyes were giving me that stern 'shut your mouth' look, but I simply shook my head. That wasn't settling too well with him all ready, a deep scowl settling on his features. Opening my mouth to say something else, his hand was clamped over it as he rolled his eyes.

"Just keep your fucking mouth shut," he spat out, turning back to Donny and the Basterds while leaving his hand on my mouth. Something in me snapped, and with everything I had, I slapped Aldo's hand off, stepping a few paces back.

"Je ne suis pas une poupée de porcelaine! Je peux parler pour moi!" everyone's gaze snapped to me, gazing upon me in disbelief as Aldo was caught in between rage and surprise. Stomping his foot down onto the ground, he glared in Wicki's direction.

"Now someone in this fucking troupe tell me just what in the fucking hell she said!" his voice had risen a few octaves, his fists clenching at his side in anger. My own anger was boiling up inside, igniting a fire somewhat in my eyes. Utivich and Wicki shared a nervous look, while Donny had this anticipated look on his face. Wicki cleared his throat unsurely, shifting uncomfortably next to Stiglitz.

"She uh…she said she's not a porcelain doll, and that she can speak for herself." Aldo's jaw clenched audibly, and Donny shifted a little in his spot. His fingers flexed around the base of the bat, a slow smirk coming to his face as Aldo's fists clenched even more. He took two stomping steps up to me, but I wasn't backing down.

"Oh, you can speak for yourself? That's why you're a fucking runaway?! Yous nothin' but a little reject, tryin' ta find someone who really wants her. Well guess what Miss Landa? Nobody in this fucking shithole of a war gives a fuck about ya." his low snarl cut into every ounce of me, but I fought off the urge to frown. My eyes were starting to sting, suddenly feeling more trapped than I had in a while. Utivich glanced at me, an upset look on his face as he pulled his bottom lip into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Aldo straightened up, looking over at Donny. "Take the bitch and go get some firewood. Utivich, go with 'em."

My upper arm was roughly grabbed my Donny, dragging me into the woods as Utivich quickly scampered behind us nervously. Donny's bat was thudding against the ground as it dragged, becoming that slow undertone as I vied for any type of music to make the situation the least bit better.

---

Two hours into the woods, and the silence was painful between all three of us. Donny's hand was still on Hayden's upper arm. She looked torn between a couple emotions, but out of kindness I tried not to stare. My mind kept reeling back to Aldo's sudden snap earlier, and something inside me twisted unsettlingly. He was normally kind and patient, but something about the way he constantly looked at her made us all feel the tension.

It was nearly like he treated her like his favorite broken toy, refusing to let his parents throw it away even though it was apparent it had had its' day.

However, even I could see she was the cause of all the commotion in the camp. If Aldo truly knew about who she was the entire time, then why did he keep her around? She was practically a magnet, as the Jew Hunter had to eventually come looking for his daughter. That would blow the entire mission up in smokes!

But if he hadn't looked for her by now…then was he going to?

Pulling my bottom lip into my mouth and chewing on it once more, I glanced up at Donny. He had released Hayden's arm, and was now intent on glaring at her. She rubbed at the spot, bruises in the shapes of his fingers all ready appearing. "You've got thirty seconds to get to talking before I do what Aldo told me to."

Both of our gazes snapped to him, watching as his jaw clenched and unclenched, repeating the reflexes with his fingers. "Donny--"

"Can it, Utivich. Get to talking, Porcelain." giving her a rough shove with his bat, Hayden stumbled a few seconds before glaring. "Twenty seconds, traitor. I'd get to the part where you're a double agent, it'll make this whole process that much quicker."

The breath caught in my throat for a minute as that sentence set in; Aldo wanted to get rid of her if she wasn't willing to cooperate. "I'm not a traitor." the French accent was clear as day, and I could instantly pick up that she was upset. Since she had joined us, I had noticed that her French accent became clearer when she was upset.

"Then just what in the fucking fuck are you doing here, hmm?! What, daddy didn't want you no more so yous figured you'd just run away and be a spy? Surely that'd get daddy dearest on your good graces." Donny chuckled a bit at the end of his miniature rant, a satisfied grin coming to his face as he took a few practice swings on a rock. Hayden swallowed hard, stepping back a bit to avoid the rebounds.

"I hate living with him, I hate what he does." her words were guarded, as if not completely comfortable with telling us her tale. I could guess that it wasn't necessarily hers to tell, but at that point it didn't matter. Privacy had flown away a while ago, and as Donny's bat struck the rock again, her words came faster. I had to strain my ears to pick out the English words in the heavy French accented voice. "So I thought I'd escape, you…you Basterds just were a roadblock. I seen my chance, and I took it. It's not regrettable."

"So if we're just a fucking roadblock, then just why in the fuck did you want to join us?!" instead of the answer putting Donny at ease, it only seemed to anger him more. I did nothing, simply just stood there with my automatic in my hands as I watched them.

"Escape plan, until I watched you…watched your bat. Watched what happened. I didn't…I blocked out the news of the war. When you live in a Nazi filled household, that's not exactly the easiest of things to do. I want to help this mission, in any way possible." her French accent had dropped, her eyes still guarded as she stared at Donny. She was obviously smart, knowing that eye contact was the easiest way to determine if one was lying or not. They shared an intense look for a minute, before Donny shrugged his shoulders and deemed her answer acceptable for the time being.

"I don't trust you as far as I could fuckin' throw Omar, but until Raine gives the call I can't do shit. Just go get some fucking wood," with that, Donny's bat was back over his shoulder as he stormed away and stooped down to get a piece of wood. Hayden looked more than relieved, and I took a few steps up to her. She glanced up at me, and I gave her a small smirk as her eyebrows pulled together.

"You know that was the easy part right? As soon as you get back to the camp, you're going to have to apologize to Aldo."

----

The fire sizzled idly as Omar poked at it, Donny getting more and more irritated as the night dragged on. Omar had been taking entirely too long starting up the fire to cook for the boys, and it always seemed to irritate him more than the others. Stiglitz and Utivich were seated at the far end of the fire, idly talking and watching the flames contently. The rest of the boys were out getting some firewood, considering our trio had a pretty unsuccessful trip earlier on.

I wanted to get up and sit by Stiglitz and Utivich. It would've been so much more content and calm over on their tranquil log. Instead, I had been seated directly next to Aldo, both of us having our arms crossed and eyes on the flames. The stubborn, tension filled air hung heavily over our heads, and for a second I could swear I seen a cloud over us. It was pouring rain down, thunder booming and lighting bolts striking overhead.

Aldo's jaw had been clenched since the moment Donny had seated me down (not too gently I might add). He only opened his mouth to bark a command at the boys, and I could tell by the surprised look on their faces that this was not normal protocol. Donny seemed to glare at me the entire time, silently blaming me for the change in Aldo's presence. I was temped to glare back, add in that this was partly Donny's fault, but I knew that would be an unwise decision. His bat always hung loosely at his side, ready for action against anyone in the camp who spoke up.

Something told me that if I snapped at him, he wouldn't wait for Aldo's approval; he'd do what he damn well pleased, and suffer the consequences later on.

Pretty soon the food was passed out, and I only managed to swirl it around in the freshly cleaned ceramic bowl. It offered no warmth like it should've, no sense of home in it at all as the boys greedily devoured their own. Moving the spoon around in it some more, I bit at my lip as it felt like the tension was going to swallow everyone whole. Bowls were discarded on the ground, everyone getting up as I found myself alone with the Apache.

No doubt this was planned.

Ten more minutes of uncomfortable silence fell over us, and I found myself getting more antsy as I shifted in my spot. He looked a bit less irritated, but his eyes still held the anger that sent Donny after me earlier on. "So you're not a porcelain doll, eh?"

My breath completely stopped, and I realized that it was time to stop acting like a scared little girl. "I'm not."

"You could've fooled me, you know. Did you think we was going to just let you join without looking into your background? The day you walked into that camp in your pretty lil' dress, I was on the telly with the OSS. I know all about you, Miss Landa, and I wouldn't take that as a privilege." his boots scraped at the ground as he pulled out his little box of snuff.

"I didn't ask for you to know about me nor did I intend to treat it as such," I grumbled out, crossing my arms and glaring at the hot flames in front of me. They were supposed to be comforting and warm me up, but they only symbolized that I was really in the middle of France with a group of men I didn't even know. The box of snuff was slammed shut, and I jumped a little, watching as he shoved it into his pocket aggressively.

"You know, I think I know why your lil' daddy didn't want you; you act like a spoiled lil' bitch. Incase you haven't noticed, princess, there's a war goin' on." clenching my jaw, I glared up at him a bit.

"I'm not a bitch and I'm not oblivious, inbred." my mouth snapped out the words that had been caught in my throat, and I instantly regretted it. Aldo's hand reached out, grabbing my upper arm rather tightly and making me face him. Our faces were fairly close, and for once the contact was not invited by me at all. "Is this what you American's call kissing and making up?"

"No this," his lips were placed firmly on mine for a lingering second before being pulled back, "is kissing and making up." getting up from the fire and storming towards the sleeping bag that was set up near the edge of the forest, he turned to call over his shoulder. "You're on first watch tonight!"

----

"You didn't tell me this rendezvous was in a fuckin' basement," Aldo snapped out from peering out the window, his attention completely set on it. Hicox shifted uncomfortably, sucking in a breath for a moment. He had been sent by the OSS to aid them, and to get their agent Bridget von Hammersmark. From what I could pick out, she was the supposed creator of this Operation Kino thing. I only knew her as a famous actress, not some top spy for Britain.

From the unease in every single person in the room, I had a feeling this wasn't going to end up well. "I didn't know."

"You said it was in a tavern."

"It is a tavern." Aldo turned his full attention to Hicox now, glancing out the window every so often.

"Yeah, in a basement. You know, fightin' in a basement offers a lot of difficulties, number one being, you're fighting in a basement!" Donny's eyes drifted over to Aldo, watching his emotions carefully as I glanced up from the floor next to Utivich. He looked discontent as well, which was something that completely shocked me.

Deciding to flee the atmosphere that was suffocating, I headed into the room in the little house that was set away from the others. Hugo sat in it, sharpening his knife with a deep look of concentration.

"Why didn't you take your opportunity to tell them about me?" I inquired carefully and quietly, causing his gaze to snap up to me. He looked oddly content and comfortable, and I gave him a small smile. Leaning back against the chair a bit more, he let out a low huff.

"You're a smart girl, I knew you'd say something." he mumbled somewhat lightly, which was something that I wasn't used to. I didn't like the atmosphere that had taken the troupe. It was too calm, but entirely too antsy at the same time. It was almost like they were just anticipating disaster, like this whole mission was about to crumble down on their heads, and they were ready for it.

Opening my mouth to say something, Hicox appeared next to me. He gave me a tight smile, and I gave him a slight nod of understanding. Managing to mouth a 'thank you' to Hugo, I headed back into the main area.

Donny was laying on a cot, looking more annoyed than ever while Aldo still stared out the window. Utivich and Ulmer were twitchy as ever, and Wicki stood next to Aldo, looking quite handsome in his German Lieutenant uniform. Hugo joined him a few moments later with Hicox in tow, then they were out the door and gone.

The unsettled feeling returned when more sounds of gunfire rang out from the tavern. Donny shut his eyes tightly, his hand gripping at his bat as he sucked in a deep breath. By that point, I was sure my chest was going to burst from the anxiety. I crossed my fingers, bowing my head slightly and mumbling underneath my breath for their safety. A few seconds later the gunfire had all but faded away, and Aldo was on his feet.

He headed towards the door, much to the dismay of the frazzled troops and myself. He yelled down the stairs something about a Mexican Standoff, and then Zimmerman was trailing down the stairs after him. A few minutes later, a few more gunshots, and then they were carrying out a very distressed looking Bridget von Hammersmark.

Setting her in the back of the truck, I realized that there would be absolutely no room for me back there. Utivich, Hirschberg, Zimmerman, and Ulmer were all busy trying to quickly help Bridget and silence her. Climbing into the front of the truck, I found myself pressed in between Aldo and Donny.

Not the best predicament for my anxiety.

Glancing between the two, I realized that their knuckles were white as they squeezed the objects in their hands. Aldo looked more torn up than I had seen since joining, and it made my stomach squirm in an uneven way. "What…what happened to Stiglitz? Hicox? Wicki?"

Donny's grip tightened more on his bat as he shut his eyes, hand covering his mouth slightly as he leaned against the window. Aldo glanced over at me for a second, then glanced back out the window. "Shot down in their line of duty."

The simple phrase sent a gasp of air from me, one that had not been intended. My hand covered my own mouth in shock, my heart squeezing and clenching a bit at the thought. They were gone. They weren't coming back.

And it was all because they were fighting in a fucking basement.

---

Bridget's screaming could probably be heard from half way through France, but the Basterds paid no attention to it. I tried to block it out as I sat in the room that ran off of the Vets office, my head resting on my knees as my stomach flipped unwillingly. Donny had taken notice to my behavior in the truck, and had mumbled something to Aldo about me not looking so good. To my surprise, Donny had been the one to guide me in the opposite room and sit me on the floor, telling me to take deep breaths and that it would be okay.

Their faces passed behind my eyelids again as I let out a shuttering breath. Bridget let out another antagonizing scream, the table she laid on clattering as she gripped the edge. Aldo was chewing her out, but I couldn't even make out the English words anymore. They blurred together as I tried to block them out, and I let out another breath.

Foot steps cluttered to the doorway as Bridget's screams stopped, but I didn't need to look up to tell who they belonged to. Aldo's boots always seemed heavier when he was irritated, Donny's coming in a close second. He grumbled something, turning his attention back to Bridget as I let out a shuttering breath.

Ten minutes later, the conversations and screaming had stopped. Donny had marched out for a minute to grab some food, and as far as I could grasp, the Vet was casting up Bridget's leg after digging the slug out. A buzz of chatter was in the other room, more excited than nervous. It made my stomach clench again, and I couldn't hold back the gagging sensation as the heavy boots entered the room completely. "You ain't gonna throw up, are ya?"

Looking up from my knees, I watched as Aldo took a seat next to me. His eyes ran over my face one time, and I knew I couldn't have been looking good if both Donny and him were checking up on me so profusely. Slinging an arm over my shoulder, he lightly pulled me into his side as my stomach clenched again. "You're just in shock, you'll be fine."

"But Stiglitz won't be…Hicox…and Wicki…" the simple mention of their names sent my stomach into another frenzy, and I had to squeeze my eyes shut to keep the bile down as I sucked in a deep breath. I had never been that close with people before it happened, mainly being sheltered by Landa and mom the entire time I grew up. They didn't prepare me for feelings and actions like this.

"You're an odd German Angel, you know that?" my eyes snapped up to his, a small look of disbelief on my face.

"Did you really just call me a German Angel?" I questioned, my voice coming out scratchy and somewhat humored.

"Well, considering how peculiar you are compared to everyone else in your country at this time, I'd say so. You sure as hell ain't a French maid."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things.

**Authors Note: **_This one's pretty short, sorry about that; it's mainly a filler. For anyone who didn't get the wisecrack at the end of the last chapter (or just want their opinions confirmed), here's the explanation. Basically, Aldo is picking on her nationalities, as Hayden is part German and part French. Since joining the Basterds, she hasn't worn a dress, and hasn't been afraid to get her hands dirty; hence the French maid part. It's also, as _**AnnabelleLee13194 **_pointed out, a fairly shameless way of flirting with her. The angel part is fairly self explanatory; she's regarded as mostly an angel among them for saving Donny._

_**Thanks for all the reviews and everything guys, you make the chapters come out a lot faster. I am curious though, is there anything anyone wants to see in particular regarding Operation Kino and (lets face it) the moment Landa/Raine meet up? Let me know in the comments!**_

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_Footsteps fell upon the normally quiet household, causing the girl to strain her ears to hear the German voices in the kitchen. She stealthily managed to creep down the stairs, and now all that laid between her and the kitchen were a few measly steps. A car had been parked outside for awhile now, and curiosity had finally gotten the best of the seventeen-year-old. _

_Taking two large steps, the girl leaned her head against the wall as she peered around the door frame. Landa and Stiglitz were speaking, the latter of the two's brows furrowed. The conversation seemed harmless to her, but fairly soon the German words picked up to a yelling point, and the girls heart hammered against her ribcage. Stiglitz stood up, slamming his hand down on the table as he peered over Landa's shoulder and at the girl._

"_You're too good for this," he muttered in English, a thick German accent coating every word. Landa spun to look at whom he was speaking with, but the girl had all ready pressed herself against the door frame until more angry German words hit her ears. _

I woke with a start, cramped uncomfortably on the cold floor. My entire body ached, and it felt like I had just fallen asleep five minutes prior to waking up. Looking around and rubbing at my eyes, it took me a moment to decipher the events once more. They all blurred into an uncomfortable mess, and suddenly I found myself wishing that I had stayed asleep.

There at least, Stiglitz haunted me from a much more alive perspective.

Pulling my body into a sitting position, I stretched my arms high over my head and searched around the room with my eyes for a clock. The only thing that even resembled it was a window in the far corner that did not have any form of shading on it. Getting up and steadying myself for a moment, I crept over to it and peered out. Light was just starting to appear on the muddy roads.

Biting my lip and running a hand through my hair, I tried to untangle it a bit as I walked into the front room. A heavy arm immediately went over my shoulders, causing me to teeter a bit and grip onto the wall to try and steady myself. "Dammit Donny, how many times do I have ta tell you not ta scare the girl?!"

Donny let out a chuckle, pulling me into his side as my stomach heaved a bit. Trying to adjust to the bright lights, I kept my mouth clamped shut and looked around the room. Bridget was looking at me skeptically from the Vets table, a glossy look in her eyes and her leg cast up in the form of a heel. Utivich looked completely drained of any energy as he stood guard next to the Vet.

Glancing around once more for a clock, Bridget's harsh voice snapped me out of my mission. "Who the hell is this girl?!" all of the boys eyes snapped to her, and Donny's hand tightened on my shoulder slightly. They all had a dark look in their eyes.

"Who the girl is isn't your business," Utivich snapped, his voice low and cold as he glared at her. Bridget glared back at him, and I could faintly hear a snuff box closing from the other room. "You okay? You're still looking pretty white."

Utivich chewed as his lip anxiously, and I nodded my head a bit as I was pulled closer into Donny's side. I wasn't comfortable with being this close with him, but I'd rather face this side of him then the one holding the bat. "I'm fine…So what's going on with Operation Kino?"

Everyone's heads whipped to me, Aldo peering in from the doorway. I bit at my lip, suddenly feeling nervous underneath everyone's eyes. "That's NONE of your business!"

"Hey, cool it with the attitude!" Donny snapped, poking her cast leg and watching her gasp. "We know who she is. WE however, do NOT know you. You invited us to a fuckin' rendezvous in a basement, and got our men killed! For all we know, you're just another little traitor!"

"Donny, that's enough." Aldo entered the room, pocketing the tin of snuff as he ran a hand through his hair. Donny clutched the bat a bit tighter, but hushed as he glared at Bridget. His fingers dug into my shoulder just a bit, and I tried to push the painful sensation away as I glared at Bridget.

"You're the reason Stiglitz and Wicki are dead?!" my fists clenched at my side, staring as Bridget rolled her eyes and simply tried to move her leg again. The cast clattered a few times, but she was successful in pulling herself up.

"I don't know who you are, but those German soldiers gave themselves away," she muttered darkly. I glared at her more, and suddenly Donny was grabbing my wrist, holding me back from storming over there. If I would've, I probably would've produced some Bear Jew like antics, and I still contemplated those thoughts as I was dragged back to my former position. "We're going to have to leave to get you to the tailors soon."

"Now, how in the hell do you think you gunna do that? You're hopped up on the morphine, and I doubt you can walk in that cast yet!" Aldo snapped from the corner, surprising both Donny and I. His grip loosened on my wrist, staring at the leader with curious eyes as he leaned against the wall and let out a small groan. From a glance, they all looked utterly exhausted. Even Donny was starting to get bags underneath his eyes, and I scanned the room for Ulmer. He was seated against the wall, his eyes closed and soft snores erupting from him. Utivich looked as if he could drop to the floor at that moment and sleep for days.

"I could go get 'em. You guys look like you need sleep," I mumbled carefully, ready for someone to jump on me for the offer. To my surprised, each of the boys that remained awake gave me a curious but somewhat thankful look.

"That's impossible! They need to be fitted!" Bridget snapped from her position on the cold metal table, glaring over at me like I was about to screw everything up. Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back to the boys that were paying her no mind.

"You guys have worn suits before, right?" a quick nod from them. "Does everyone know their measurements?" another quick nod. "Write them down on a piece of paper, and I'll just give them to the tailor."

Bridget looked less than pleased with my solution, but said nothing as the boys quickly scribbled down their measurements. Aldo handed me the paper back, giving me a somewhat guarded look as the paper was twirled in my fingers. Turning away from the gaze, I looked at Bridget. "Where is this place?"

Quickly giving me the directions, I managed to duck out of the doors and into the now just rising sunlight. I could practically hear the relief in the boys handwriting, and I smiled a bit as I easily found the tailor. Handing over the measurements, I headed back out the door after receiving a time for pick up. Deciding that it would be best not to delay in the plain daylight, I headed back to the Vet's office. A closed sign hung in the door.

Slipping in and shivering a bit at the change in temperature, I peered out at the streets. People were starting to come out of their homes to perform their tasks of the day, and it left a small longing for a normal life again. "You might wanna get back in that little room over there. No tellin' who could be out there."

Spinning around with my back to the door, I was face to face with Aldo Raine for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day. He twirled his tin of snuff somewhat nervously, and I gave him a guarded look. "You should be getting some sleep like the rest of 'em."

The modest answer somewhat surprised me as he got up, running his thumb along my jaw for a brief moment before everything was formal once more. "Had'a make sure the secret weapon got back just fine."

"I want to be part of Operation Kino." absolute silence filled the room after that sentence, for once a speechless Aldo Raine standing dumbfounded in his spot.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own anybody in the story (except for the OCs and the plot), and this is not for profit. This is just for fun. I do not intent to offend any race, gender, ect., nor do I feel this way about it. This is a story, please remember that.**

**Author's Note: **_Hey guys! Could you guys please include on your comment what should happen in the next chapter between Landa/Hayden, Landa/Raine? I'm kind of stuck on it. Thanks!_

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In the military field, one thing and one thing only is always clear; do not show any weakness. Leaders use this to their advantage, and most of the time their troops are just as strong as they are. However, in that brief moment of weakness, you have to be keen enough to pick up on it. Their eyes tell everything, give away every strategy, and the one thing that makes them tick. If you can pick up on it, you can use it against them to get nearly whatever you want.

However, if I thought that rule applied to the Basterds and Aldo Raine, I must've been insane. Out of all of the military strategists I had been around (Landa included), none of them were as great as hiding their weakness as they were. One instant Aldo's eyes were flashing concern, then next they were back to the hard military leader I had seen from day one. Everything was back to being professional, nothing was allowed to be shown as a weakness. Weakness hadn't gotten them this far, and with Landa just around the corner, they weren't about to let anyone get to them.

Straightening up completely and clearing his throat, Raine pulled the small box of snuff free of his pocket once more. His right boot slightly overlapping his left, elbows bent at his sides as two pinches of snuff were snorted. The tin box was then placed back in his pocket, his arms crossed firmly over his chest as he looked at me like a lion would an antelope. Suddenly this had turned back into a game, and every inch of him scanned me to decipher any form of weakness. After all, once he found that I was practically putty in his hands I was in trouble.

It was nerving to say the least, and as I stood there I was somewhat petrified.

Finally his lips pursed, and an unimpressed look crossed his face. "And just what in the hell makes you so damn special to be included in Kino?"

"I'm your secret weapon, am I not?" the question was somewhat guarded, and suddenly I was doubting the fact that I was their secret weapon in any way possible. I was starting to feel as if I was definitely doomed to be at the end of Donny's bat sooner rather than later. Suddenly I was no longer a weapon, nor was I any form of interest. I was an absolute toy until they grew tired of me, like a toddler with their favorite doll.

And that was what he was searching so desperately for; that one brief moment where I self doubted everything and took a second too long to answer. A grin lit up all the way to his eyes, and I was now caught in a terrifying game of cat and mouse. "Surely you don't think you're useful to Kino. After all, your daddy is the head of all Nazi's. Wouldn't look real good if we sat there 'nd let you go with us. He'd recognize you like that." for emphasis he snapped, and I gritted my teeth.

"Then why in the hell have you dragged me along on this foolish mission?!" my fists clenched at my side in frustration, and Aldo simply raised his eyebrow at me as he leaned against the wall. His actions were misleading and frustrating, and it was starting to finally get to me. One second he was hanging on so desperately to the fact that I was their little weapon, the next he was practically telling me to leave because I couldn't even help.

"Foolish? Lil' girl, watch that damn pretty mouth of yours. You need to keep the fuckin' thing shut once in a while." he snapped at me, his voice back to that same brisk formality that he used with everyone else. Something in me told me not to push him, that he was just as dangerous as the others. That however, didn't stop me from wanting to push his buttons to the point of seeing what made him tick. I wanted so desperately to see the flaw in this perfect plan of his, to see that he was human and that like everyone else, he made an error. "Now. We're going to trollop your little ass back into that room, and we're gunna let Bridget decide what to do with you. Personally, you're getting on my last fucking nerve."

With that, he had a tight grip on my arm, and I was being pulled rather roughly back into the room. Donny looked up from his bat, a small smirk on his face. Obviously the idea of them sleeping didn't appeal as much to them as it did to me. After all, the only one who still remained passed out was Omar against the wall. Utivich was leaning against the dog cages, looking worn out and bored out of his mind. Bridget's eyes were even more glazed over, but everyone could tell that she wasn't hopped up enough on the drugs not to comprehend what was going on. As she gazed at me, her eyes hardened and she let out a scoff. "You look oddly familiar, do I know you from somewhere?"

I swallowed hard as Raine gave me a rough shove towards her, an unimpressed look on his face once more. Obviously I had pushed his very last nerve and buttons, cruising down that dangerous tightrope once more. "I'm Hayden Landa."

Those words sent Bridget in a frenzy as she started screaming random insults in German and clutching the vet table beneath her. Aldo raised his eyebrow, along with the rest of the boys. Right now, I was ready to foolishly shut my eyes and wish for Stiglitz or Wicki back. They would graciously translate the hateful words to me, so at least I could properly comprehend the words. "What the hell are you thinking?! She's the head Nazi's daughter! Why in the hell do you even still have her?! THIS IS MADNESS!"

Donny chuckled a bit as he ceased wiping his bat, looking less than impressed over at the German actress who's leg laid in a fresh cast. Aldo let out a small huff, shrugging his shoulders and letting out a fake yawn. Utivich remained silent in the corner of the room, his mouth clamped shut as he continued his staring contest with the floor. "She wants to help in Kino."

Bridget scoffed at Aldo's confirmation, glaring over at me once more. "She's not on your side, you foolish American! She's his DAUGHTER! She'll trade you over in a heartbeat!"

"And yous just got three of my men killed in a tavern full of Nazi's! Right now, your story ain't lookin' so hot either!" Aldo snapped out, glaring at the actress with distaste. I bit down on my lip at the mood swing, my mind starting to reel from them. One second he was absolutely devastated with the fact that he was showing any compassion towards me, the next he was back to being professional.

Bridget rolled her eyes, looking me over before letting out a low groan. "You want to include her? Landa's sure to recognize her."

Aldo's face scrunched up in thought and I chewed at my bottom lip. "We pack 'er up with make up, make her look like a doll. Possibly dye her hair. That makes you girls less recognizable, right?"

Bridget rolled her eyes at his assumption and let out a groan. "We can try. She'll end up blowing it. After all, we'll need to dress her up, high heels and all."

----

Hayden staggered unsteadily in her rather large heels, and I attempted not to laugh at the sight. The heels were at least six inches high, and the black gown she was wearing didn't help anything. Grabbing onto the wall, she let out a low groan. "Utivich, PLEASE stop laughing. I'm well aware I look ridiculous."

"Didn't you wear this shit to premiers?" Aldo piped up from behind her, his eyes not at all where they should've been. The simple position of them made my cheeks light up red as I tried to block it out.

"I tried to stay away from them," Hayden snapped back at him, her gaze hitting his just as he looked up from her ass. "My mother made a point to let me have a choice of seclusion."

"Well, now that wasn't very nice lettin' a pair of legs like that be kept in the closet." glaring over her shoulder at Aldo, she took a seat in the chair as Bridget groaned once more. Obviously her actions weren't working very well, and at this rate she'd have to practically cling to one of the boys arms the entire premier.

"So how is she even getting in?" I questioned, looking up from buttoning my coat as Omar gave me a weak smile. Bridget gritted her teeth, boosting her self up more as her eyes completely glazed over.

"It won't be hard to snag another invitation with my status. However, with the way she can walk in those heels it'd be easier to sneak an elephant into the premier undetected." I tried to stifle my laughter as I followed Omar and Donny out to the car, my hands shaking the entire time I sat behind the wheel.

----

"Now I know you ain't done tryin," I commented, pocketing my snuff again and looking down at the rather agitated lookin' Hayden. The black gown was ridin' up slightly, and I unabashedly let my eyes roam. She gave me an irritated look, rollin' her eyes and fake coughing.

Grabbing her arm and pullin' her up, she gave me a curious expression. Placing my hands on her hips and spinnin' her towards the door, I let my lips linger near her ear. "Now walk."

"What? Incase you seriously did not just see me, I cannot walk in heels." rolling my eyes and putting slight pressure against her hips, I nudged her forward.

--

Staggering forward a bit, Aldo's hands steadied my hips. My entire mind was racing at the close proximity, and it was starting to make me a bit dizzy. The fact that I was much higher than my normal height helped nothing, and I felt much like a klutzy young girl than a 'mature adult'. Or at least that's what the soldiers had called me in distaste. "Come on lil' girl, keep walking."

His breath was hot on my ear, and I fought the instinctive urge to close my eyes. I took a few more steady steps forward, somewhat amazed at my progress. He chuckled in my ear, and I felt the words bubbling up before I could push them back down. "I'm not a little girl, I wish you'd stop thinking I am."

I was stopped and spun around, chest to chest with the leader of the Basterds. Aldo had a smirk on his face that easily reached his eyes, deceiving the challenging look he was giving me. The breath had completely caught in my throat, and suddenly this felt like more than just a lesson on how to walk in heels. "Is that so? I ain't convinced sweetheart."

His head was dipped slightly, adding to the intimate positioning that had me forcing an over obvious blush back. The sudden change in mood and atmosphere brought my mind fiercely back to my own self discussions previously. His ever changing mood swings sent a strange aching sensation through me, and I realized then just what was wrong with the picture; he reminded me of Landa in so many ways.

His head dipped lower towards mine, our lips nearly touching. The door opened up with a loud creak, causing Aldo to retract like a cobra. Donny popped his head in, giving him a small grin. "Time to work my beauty school on the little devil child."

Aldo rolled his eyes, but obediently walked into the other room. That left just me and Donowitz in the room, causing my heart to jump frantically at the fact that a bat was no longer in his hands. Instead, a bottle of peroxide sat in his hand, followed by a kit of make up that I was guessing he stole from Bridget. He gave me a reassuring smile, pushing me down in a chair and grinning.

----

"Damn, what'd you do to her?!" Aldo exclaimed, looking me up and down uncomfortably. Donny had attempted to work his magic on me, and I wanted to take his reaction as a good sign. The black gown fell uncomfortably tight against my hips and chest, and it made me feel insecure as the boys all gave me wolfish looks. The heels fit uncomfortably, my new found hair and make up making my eyes sting with illusion.

There was no way in hell this was going to work.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: **I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things.**

**Author's Note: **So originally, this was going to be entirely in third person point of view. However, it switches to Hayden's for the premier. So, I hope it isn't too distracting, and I'm sorry if this is REALLY lacking. I'm kind of stumped on ideas. A special thanks goes to jackiez32 for majorly giving me ideas for this chapter. Oh! And, I was thinking about starting another Inglourious one after this one is finished. Any suggestions, requests?

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In war, there's many horrifying images; the things you say and do cannot be erased. The feelings that surge throughout your body are indescribable, and you cannot change it. Every little detail in it is burned into your mind; the people you meet, the things you feel, the things you did, what places you visited. You cannot block them out, you cannot even walk away from them for a moment. All that runs through your mind in the big moment of the whole mission coming together is explosions. You need to get this right, you need to make sure everything's perfect. This is your chance. This is the conclusion of the mission.

_This very well may end the war. _That simple thought had everyone in the car jittery. The fact that this was the entire thing that they had worked for all these months was chilling. Stunning practically; each of them didn't know what to say, what to do. It would all be impractical.

To be honest, the boys in tuxedos was a sight to behold. After so many months of casual clothing (with the exception of Hugo and Wicki) and blood, the boys looking so calm and nicely dressed was delightful. Donny looked far less threatening in his black and white tux, no bat in sight as he stared at the carpeting in the limo. Everything seemed just that more innocent among them, as if they were just really going to a movie premier.

However, each of them knew that this flowed deeper. The entire situation was one that neither wanted to admit, neither wanted to say out loud. The mission had taken months in preparation, and one subtle move could blow the entire thing out of the ballpark.

Sucking in a deep breath and trying to keep her legs from bouncing, Hayden was pressed against the door of the limo next to Aldo, Bridget to his other side, Donny to hers, and then Omar at the very other side against his own door. The plan had been made the previous night; since Donny wouldn't have been able to support Hayden if she crashed to the ground (something about seeing her fail made the man burst into uncontrollable laughter), he was now serving as Bridget's date. Aldo was serving as Hayden's, and taking his role to his complete advantage.

All three of the boys would be speaking Italian, Hayden would keep her mouth shut. Bridget was still mulling over a story that would serve justice to Hayden's silence. However, the endless chatter inside the limo was starting to make her even more irritable as she looked forward, teeth gritted and anger surging through her heavily medicated body. Donny's chatter was the most irritating in her eyes, as he was all ready eager as hell to get inside the premier. The device strapped to his leg only seemed to make him all the more giddy, and it was foreign to three other people in the car to see him without his beloved bat. However, that did not strain away from his dominating and slightly frightening nature.

Uncomfortably moving her leg away from Aldo's hand that had taken a liking of trailing it, Hayden shot him a dirty look. She had been completely silent the entire ride, and Aldo had taken it as his personal mission to get some kind of reaction out of the girl. Settling for his hand on her knee, forcing it down to keep her from bouncing it. Hayden sent him a glare, and he sent her a simple look that alerted her of just how nervous she was. Aldo was playing a simple little game that had her gritting her teeth. Hayden didn't find the antics or game funny, and she found herself pressed up against the door even more in an attempt to escape him. The boy simply chuckled, leaning back in his white tux and completely relaxing. Everyone shot him a confused look, jitters running through them in anticipation.

As the limo came to a halt and the door was opened by Utivich, Omar was the first to step out. Hair slicked back to perfection, he stepped aside and let Donny out, who gently pulled Bridget out. Loud cheers rang out as her legs hit the carpet, and Bridget graciously smiled and bowed, giving them a proper reaction as she moved aside for the last two to step out. Aldo stepped up next to her, leaving Hayden to get out by herself and hold her own when it came to her heels. As she climbed out, her and Utivich shared an impeccable look that had both of their chests tightening in both sorrow and anticipation.

----

I had never been so happy to be surrounded by Nazi's in my entire life. By now, I had a death grip on Aldo's arm as my heels made me teeter and nearly spill over several times. A warm red blush had lit up my cheeks, making the blond hair stand out even more as heads turned to look at all of us curiously. Bridget walked around and formed us into some substandard circle, watching me in displeasure as I teetered once more. "Now just keep your cool. It's important not to--"

"Bridget von Hammersmark." that familiar voice sent a shiver down my spine, and forced me to clutch at Aldo's arm harder than ever. Glancing down at me for a second as we turned to face Landa, a sardonic grin came to his face. Landa's eyes trailed all of us, distaste in his features that was quickly dissipated as he put his charming front back on.

It would be an understatement to say that we were all aware of each other. After all, the Basterd's faces had been plastered everywhere thanks to the S.S. Everything in this plan made my stomach lurch nervously, as if though we'd have the cover blown at any second. While I was completely on the edge, everyone else was in complete composure. The only thing that sat a bit out of place was the anxiety on Donny's face as he watched the Jew Hunter carefully.

Bridget and him held friendly conversation a few moments, before he erupted into loud laughter that sent him a few feet back to control it. Donny and Aldo exchanged looks that said 'what the fuck' in plain English. Once he came back to his senses, he began to question Bridget as to why she would take up mountain climbing.

Aldo tensed up completely next to me, and before I knew what was happening, someone's leg gave mine a slight nudge that had me nearly tumbling to the ground. The only thing that stopped me were Aldo's arms scooping me up mid fall. Landa's body tensed from his feet to his arms, and Aldo held me by the waist as I wavered for a second. Suddenly the sardonic grin was making sense, and as an audible kiss was placed on my cheek, I could practically see smoke coming out of Landa's ears. Glancing to the side and up, Aldo's smirk told me everything; he was going to fuck with the head Nazi as much as he possibly could before the mission got going again.

Bridget looked disgruntled at this information that was easily readable as I was turned back to face Landa once more. Jaw set and contemplative, he gave us a forced smile and let his hands tense. Donny let out a quiet chuckle, lightly nudging Aldo with his foot. The move was so subtle that nobody would've been able to pick it up, and the only evidence was the even wider grin that lit up Aldo's face.

Glancing at Donny briefly, I found that his foot was the closest to mine. Holding back my own glare and shifting uneasily in my heels, I looked between the two boys again. Their eyes lit up as if they had just won the most prestige award.

Suddenly the premier that had been so serious just moments before had turned into a game of cat and mouse between Landa and Aldo. All the motives were clear whenever his arms casually moved around me, his lips found my cheek, or when his hand trailed just a little too far up my side. I could tell easily that it was taking everything Landa had inside of him not to jump the American boy and toss him to the ground.

However, that fact didn't go unnoticed by me for multiple reasons. It had been a while since Landa had shown any fatherly concepts towards me, and the newfound ones had jitters running throughout me. Suddenly, I found myself wanting to press his buttons, and wanting Aldo's little game to go further than it was.

As Bridgette tried to hold his attention with conversation, my hand casually ran up and down Aldo's arm. Donny watched carefully out of the corner of his eye, trying to keep the widespread grin off his face as Landa's eyes continuously came back to us. Taking into concern the perfect timing, just as the conversation started to get intense between Bridgette and Landa was when I put my own miniscule plan into place.

One hand drifted up to Aldo's jaw line, purposely pulling it down so that his eyes were level with mine. From there, it was stepping up onto my toes as his height easily had an advantage on mine. Lips pressed together, I felt Aldo's hand slide onto the back of my head and a devious grin against my lips as he could imagine Landa's reaction. A strange sound erupted to the side of us, and we pulled away to see a rather infuriated looking Hans Landa. Giving him a rather pleased looking smile, I hummed to myself as Bridgette introduced us all. "Bonjourno."

Landa quickly switched into Italian, and I swore I could feel all of our hearts drop. That was one language I wasn't familiar with him speaking, and now I felt worse than ever at the fact that if I had, I could've saved the mission. For all intents and purposes, I was like their inside spy. I knew everything about the Jew Hunter, and I knew all the little details that made him tick. Aldo's somewhat irritated face formed the thoughts that all of us were hiding so well. "Ghratzi."

Donny tensed up a bit next to me, and I gave him a sideways glance. Through even the worst of accents, anyone could pick up that Aldo was the furthest from Italian. His heavy Tennessee accent allowed the pronunciations of the words to run together, keeping it the furthest from what it should sound like.

Several antagonizing moments of repeating their names later, Donny and Omar were off heading towards their seats. As Donny glanced back over his shoulder at us, I felt my expression falter into a saddened one. I knew what this mission was going to cost, and for a split second Hugo and Wicki's faces appeared behind my closed eye lids. Playing off the excuse of needing to use the bathroom, I walked a little bit away and disappeared behind a door, peering out to the scene in front of me. Aldo was standing there clueless as Landa began to lead Bridgette away.

That wasn't in the plan.

As everyone disappeared into the doors of the theater to watch Nation's Pride, I found myself strolling casually back out to Aldo. Somehow, my subconscious fear had taken over my clumsiness as I sucked in a deep breath.

Rubbing the B through my black gloves, Aldo and I exchanged a look of anticipation as we watched Bridgette being led up the stairs carefully.

Something was about to go horribly and terribly wrong with this plan.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: ****I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things.**

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The tile felt strange underneath the heels, the sounds of shouts in German completely gone as the doors to the premier were shut tightly. They would insure that the sound would be enclosed in the small room. Enclosed with them were Donny Donowitz and Omar Ulmer.

I tried to keep them out of my mind, tried to keep the thoughts of their names on dog tags as their families searched for them. Chest tightening momentarily, I felt a somewhat callused hand slide onto my hip. I could hear the slight sound of the fabric catching on it, and I glanced over at Aldo. "Stop livin' inside yer damn head."

"I wasn't aware that you wanted me to speak," I snapped out, the tension getting the better of me as I crossed my arms. The dress fell at an uncomfortable length for me, and the longer I stared at the doors to the cinema, the more paranoid I felt. Donny and Omar were in there, bombs strapped to their legs as they waited for them to go off. No matter how many times I had sworn up and down that I hated Donny, this wasn't something I wished to see.

"Well it'd be damn better than sittin' here in the fuckin' silence," mumbling the words as a few German eyes fell upon us, Aldo covered up his English by lifting the glass of champagne to his mouth. Shaking my head slightly, I pulled on fistfuls of my dress. My nerves were beginning to get the better of me, and I knew that it wasn't a trait I had inhabited from Landa. He would've been suave about the entire thing. "Okay you know what, fuck this."

--

Before the girl could open her mouth to ask what the leader meant, his lips crashed hard onto hers. Hands easily snagging her hips, Aldo completely pulled them up to his and put more pressure into it until Hayden finally caught on. Arms snaking up to wrap around his neck, the petite girl pulled the larger man down a bit more eagerly. Something about it felt horribly wrong though, and as Aldo's fingers dug into her hips slightly she knew what this all meant.

It meant that there was a fairly good chance that even if the war did end tonight, that neither of them would be seeing each other after this. She knew the stakes as well as he when she joined the Basterds; with every move they made, there was that odd chance that someone wouldn't be with them any longer. It made her heart pound in her chest out of realization, and suddenly she was clinging on a bit tighter than normal.

Pulling back and chuckling, Aldo rolled his eyes. "Fuck, how do you always get so carried away? We be in a room full of Nazi Fuck's, and yer standing there like nobody gunna shoot you."

Shrugging her shoulders, Hayden allowed a reluctant smile for her answer. Something flipped in the pit of her stomach, and suddenly she knew that this was real. Previously she had written everything off as some form of nightmare that she simply couldn't wake herself up from. Now as she turned her gaze back towards the door, she knew everything was real.

Footsteps rapidly approached as the girl snapped herself out of her thoughts, spinning just in time to see Aldo tackled to the ground with a black bag placed over his head. He spewed words of hate at his captures as they removed the bomb around his leg, but that was the last she seen of the scene before her. Everything in her world went black as something collided with the back of her head.

--

"As Stanley said to Livingston; Lieutenant Aldo Raine, I presume?" the heavy German accent violated Aldo's American ears, and he winced inside the black bag that was constricting his vision.

"Hans Landa." it wasn't a question, simply a statement that he made sure to butcher the pronunciation. This was the head of all enemies right now as far as the Tennessee boy was concerned, and he wanted nothing more than to bust out of the handcuffs to strike out at him. However he was confined to them, and even if he tried it'd be useless. Street smarts only got you so far once you were in metal handcuffs.

"You've had a nice long run Aldo. Alas you're now in the hands of the S.S. My hands, to be exact. And they've been waiting a long time to touch you," reaching out a finger with a somewhat amused look on his face, the S.S. Colonel softly pressed a finger against the air bubble in the bag. Aldo violently jerked his head away, lips curled back inside the blackness. Landa chuckled, waving a finger in front of his face. "Caught you flinching."

The plan that Aldo had been devising the entire time he had been hauled to his feet was taken into action at the precise moment. Pulling his head back slightly, Aldo head butted the Colonel at full force. The stunned man's hand went to his head, holding it and waving his free hand to signal the guards. They grabbed the American roughly, shoving him onto the truck. "Touch me again, Kraut Burger."

Once roughly shoved into his seat with his hands still handcuffed behind his back, Aldo mouthed words underneath the hood. He couldn't remember a damn thing about what had happened to Hayden, hell he hadn't even thought about it until now. He had been preoccupied with his own capture, and his stomach sank when he thought of Donowitz and Ulmer still in the theater, ready to explode.

Before the Lieutenant had time to pull himself back into his thoughts for another go, a sudden crying broke his concentration. Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, the leader allowed himself to question the person out loud. "Utivich?"

"Is that you Lieutenant?" the crying seemed to stop momentarily, and the voice was full of hope.

"Yep," the answer sounded absolutely hopeless, and the Private wasn't used to this formality in his leader.

Deciding to push his luck a bit more, Utivich took in a deep breath and tried to suck back his tears. He knew as well as anyone that this wasn't very military like, and through his hysteria he was ashamed that his leader had seen him breaking down. "Do you know what happened to Donny? Omar? The woman?"

"No I do not," things went silent in the back of the truck once more, and Utivich bit his lip through his bag. The tears were still streaming down his face wildly, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what was coming up. Holes in the road made the truck bounce unevenly, and with each one all Utivich wanted to do was cry harder.

--

The truck came to an abrupt halt, the two prisoners being hoisted off and roughly directed into the building. Once sat down in a seat, the bags were removed and a skittish looking Utivich looked around. Aldo kept his eyes on Landa, who's smirk was a mile wide by this point.

After all, why shouldn't he be happy? Hans Landa had just captured the very man who had made his reign as the head Colonel complete and utter hell. Now he had them in his clutches, and he was going to successfully rip the Basterds apart one by one. Waving his hands and dismissing the guards, he gave a grin to the gentlemen in front of him. "So you're Aldo the Apache."

The simple giddiness in the older man's voice alerted Utivich, but he remained quiet as he stared at him. Aldo shifted in his seat, looking around and fiddling with the handcuffs behind him. "So you're the Jew Hunter."

Utivich watched the exchange with little interest, his heart pounding hard in his chest as he tried to stop his brain from comprehending different outcomes. He didn't want to know if something terrible was going to happen to him. Letting his mind focus in on what the Colonel was saying once more, Utivich's mind told him this was his chance. "Well you do have to admit, it is catchy."

Leaning forward in his seat, the man didn't look irritated in the least bit. "Do you control the nicknames your enemies bestow on you, Aldo the Apache and the Little Man?"

Brows furring in confusion, Utivich let his mind skim through all the things he had heard on the battle field. "What do you mean, the Little Man?"

"The German's nickname for you," shrugging a bit, the Colonel held back all indications that he knew this was getting to the Private.

"The German's nickname for me is the Little Man?" raising his eyebrow slightly towards the end of his thought, Utivich promptly tuned out the rest of the conversation. His mind was reeling in anger, the only other time having heard of being called little when Bridgette had referred to him.

In the distance, Utivich allowed his ears to tune into a door shutting and closing. By the sound of the shallow closing, he was fairly certain that it was a storage closet of some sort. He tried to tune his ears back into the conversation, but a sudden scream pierced his ears and sent a jolt up his stomach. Sitting up a bit straighter in his seat, Landa didn't hesitate to take notice. "Oh please excuse the noise."

Waving his hand absentmindedly, another screech pierced through the silence and this time had Aldo straightening up in his seat. Landa grinned in his direction, not hesitating to let it show now. The entire time Hayden had been gone, the entire time he watched her hands slide all over the American Lieutenant had led to his big plan. Punishment to the traitors went far in his mind, and he made sure to push it just a bit further as he continued his negotiation like he heard no screaming in the room just to the right of him.

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It was evident to anyone in the room that Aldo and Utivich weren't happy sitting around. Utivich stood in the corner, sipping on the wine that the Colonel had poured them as the screams continued to piece through the air. He was both surprised and disgusted that the Brass on the other end of the line couldn't hear them over Landa's terms of conditional surrender.

Aldo was the most uncomfortable of the two, and as the radio was handed over to him he barley spoke two words. He answered when spoken to, and that was it. Standing up as soon as the transmission ended, he faced Landa with hard eyes. "We have a condition to add to your 'conditional surrender'; let the girl go."

A smirk played out along Landa's lips, having the man practically giddy in his standing position as he lifted a hand to his ear. "Girl, what girl?"

Aldo and Utivich's eyes grew wide and their hearts hammered in their chests as they heard a gun load.

Gunfire rang out from the room.

Silence filled the now empty void as gunpowder laid heavy in the air.

Aldo and Utivich's hearts dropped to their stomach's, and Landa simply smiled. "Now I digress, where were we?"


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** _I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things._

**Author's Note: **One more angst filled chapter! The beginning of this one is a flashback. The more emotional side of Aldo was brought from the script where he comforts Utivich in the truck. Just expanded on how he feels towards the war and stuff more. I'm not quite sure why my writing changed during the half way mark, but whatever. It still sounds good haha. Questions for you to answers in your comments if you would please!

1.) What is the major thing you want Raine to really describe next chapter?

2.) Why's he so quiet?

3.) Did I keep Landa in character/Aldo in character this chapter?

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_Darkness nearly surrounded the entire camp as the Basterds settled in for rest of evening. They had managed to find a small abandoned house near the premier, and everyone had jumped on the idea of actually staying in there than outside. A fire had been built in the middle of the room, all shades shut as the snores of several of the men all ready filled the room. _

_The cot closest to the wall and the furthest from the fire was the one that Hayden had claimed. Knees pulled up to her chest and chin resting on them, the girl allowed herself to contemplate instead of sleep. Her body ached with the need for sleep, but until everything was sorted out in her head the girl refused it. _

_One day. That was all they had until the premier. Everything had to be damn near perfect by then so that the mission didn't go to complete hell. She wasn't blind to the fact that the next day would most likely be the last time they all joked and laughed together. After all, bombs strapped to your legs at a Nazi premier wasn't something to poke fun at. _

_Another cot rustled somewhere in the room, but Hayden's senses were elsewhere as she easily tuned it out. Donowitz always shifted entirely too much in his sleep, and he was always the one that snored the loudest. Near silent footsteps crept up to her cot, and it was enough to bring her out of her head for a few moments._

_Glancing over to her left, curious eyes watched as Aldo took a seat at the top of the cot. Much like the rest of them, he looked completely drained from the events of the night. Bridgette's screaming still echoed around in her mind, and as she brought her gaze to the woman near the fire, she shook her head to dismiss it. "The hell you still doin' up?"_

_Shrugging her shoulders a bit, Hayden gave him a small smile. "Just thinking about Kino, that's all…"_

_With a small nod, Aldo managed to cross his legs underneath him as the cot rocked a bit underneath the new weight. There had barley been enough room for Hayden on it, and the extra weight seemed to bring the cot near its breaking point. An eerie silence filled the room, eyes directed anywhere but Hayden's as the Lieutenant tried to think of something to say. His head was pounding, Stiglitz and Wicki's deaths weighing heavily on his mind still. Shaking his head and finally pulling a subject into his mind, the older man nudged the younger girls' foot with his own. "What you doin' after this whole mess is done?"_

"_After the war, you mean?" a nod gave her the okay to go on, "I don't know. I guess try and find my mother. How about you?"_

"_Headin' back ta Tennessee," awkward silence once again, and the Lieutenant found himself playing with a loose thread on his shirt. It was just above his knife holster, and he could only guess that he'd cut it by accident. "You don't know where your mom is?"_

"_Haven't seen her since the start of the war," the girl mumbled out, fingers tracing odd patterns on the cot as she tried to push the memories out. Numerous nights of fighting ran through her mind, all to the point when her mother stormed out just days before the second war began. _

_Biting at his lip and debating if this was possibly the stupidest thing he had gotten himself into, Aldo found himself stumbling over his words as he made a promise that he wasn't entirely sure he was going to be able to keep. "When this confusin' shit's over with, I'm gunna help ya find her before I head back. I ain't gunna leave you in this fucked up shit to find her on yer own. Yous don't know how they gunna react; specially if they find out yous the head Nazi's daughter."_

Resisting the urge to smack himself in the face repeatedly, Aldo settled for chomping down on his bottom lip hard. There he ran his mouth off again, making another damn promise that he couldn't keep. The gun powder assaulted his senses, making his chest tighten in ways that he didn't think were possible.

And that damn smile on Landa's face was starting to drive him fucking insane.

No doubt that was the exact reaction Hans craved, needed even. It was his little adrenaline rush seeing the Basterds bend and break underneath his clutches. If that meant destroying his own daughter in the process, he'd do it. Aldo's stomach lurched as the thoughts assaulted him once more, and he found himself sucking in a deep breath.

And before he could retract himself, Aldo allowed his emotions to go completely haywire. Something in his mind snapped, something that told him his patience was wearing thin. His body and mind were tired of the war going on around him, and like Donny had done so many times over, Aldo snapped. Body clattering against a chair and completely lunging for Landa, he was only stopped by Utivich grabbing him around his waist. Despite the latter of the men's size, Utivich held his grip tight around his once so well composed leader.

"Just what in the hell is this country?! It's okay to shoot your own family here?! Maybe she wouldn't have run away if yous would've been a real daddy dearest!" struggling more against the stunned Private's grip, Aldo managed to break the hold if only for a moment as Landa simply raised an eyebrow. "Was bein' a Nazi more important than a father?! Those shiny medals tuck you away at night, cushionin' the thoughts of your real failure?!"

To everyone in the rooms surprise, Aldo's southern accent was fading rapidly to that of a normal American accident. It made a sick feeling rise in Utivich's stomach, not used to seeing his fearless leader so upset and ready to pounce on every ounce of the German Colonel. Staring at him now, struggling against his arms, he more or less resembles Donny Donowitz than Aldo Raine. His mind's delusional with anger, and everyone in the room can sense it.

The smell of gunpowder that hasn't faded away helps none, and it seems to only irk the American more. His fingers dig into the wood of the chair, desperate to get his hands on Landa for a reason unbeknownst to even him. All he knows is the hatred that's burning deep down, and that's all that he needs to act upon what he wants to. The deal with the Brass has been made, but surely they wouldn't mind a bruised and broken Colonel.

"Lieutenant stop! It's over, the war's done!" Utivich's cries were taken in vain, only subduing the older man for a moment. His fingers were cutting into his palm painfully, but he took no heed with his rage induced mind. Colonel smiling gleefully, he stepped around the two boys in a circle daintily. His movements could be described almost fairy like, a certain giddiness to every movement. It was precisely on time as if he were conducting an orchestra, and the young Private watched him carefully.

"Aldo Raine, you are by far the worst American soldier I've seen to date. Hell, even Utivich is probably in better standings right now than you are. Your emotions are all jumbled over a girl that you've known for a few months at the most. And you know what that shows, Aldo? Weakness." stopping the circle and staring at the now contemplative Lieutenant, the Colonel simply grinned wider. "After all, Raine, who said I shot anyone? It could've simply been a recording and some target practice."

Aldo's eyes narrowed to slits, his rage starting to slowly die down as he continued the staring contest. "Now the question is Aldo, why does she mean so much to you? You've known her for a few months. She's a traitor to the German army, and in every right deserved what she got. So what holds you to her?"

The words stuck to the roof of his mouth like peanut butter, and he didn't allow himself to say them. His heart was thudding faster again as the Colonel confirmed what had happened. Hermann appeared in the door way, nodding to the Colonel and speaking in rapid German as the two American's were handcuffed again.

As they passed by the door, both Utivich and Aldo's eyes closed momentarily in respect. Aldo's didn't reopen until they hit the truck, and as he stared out of the back and into the dawn, he bit at his lip. "Lieutenant? Are you okay? You're really quiet."

"Just glad to be goin' home, Utivich."


	16. Alternative Epilogue

**Disclaimer: ****I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things. **

**Thank you to everyone who added this to their favorites, watched, commented, ect. (:  
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The sounds of cars whizzing by and taunting everybody rang through the air of the normally quiet Tennessee town. Footsteps could be heard all around him, but all he could do was focus on the sky high above and the memories that constantly haunted his intelligence.

Two months had passed since the chaos of his mission. Two months since he finally stepped foot back in America, Utivich at his side as they shared fake smiles while Landa was inducted. They hated his guts severely, but the marking on his forehead left a small imprint of happiness to the duo.

It still haunted him well after Utivich had reassured him and shipped back off to Manhattan. He hadn't been able to keep his promise, and some in depth part of him didn't want to admit that it went farther then that. However, deep down, the once strong Lieutenant knew that he had fallen straight for the enemy.

And he hadn't minded it, he had even contemplating asking her to join him in America after this mass clusterfuck was over with. But that didn't happen, and standing alone on his porch, the man contemplated if he had made the right decision on letting her join.

A weird feeling always managed to overtake him anytime he thought about the girls whereabouts. She wasn't still in that dingy radio place, he knew that for sure. If she had truly escaped Landa's clutches, he liked to think that she was out there trying to keep his promise.

But as the shrill cries of a baby came from his house, Aldo knew he couldn't dwell any longer. He had a family that he was supposed to be taking care of. With one final glance at the darkening sky, Aldo turned his back on the harsh realities that he had faced just mere months ago.


	17. True Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** _I DO NOT own these characters in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC). They belong to their rightful owners, and I am in no way intending to make any sort of profit off of this. This is fiction, remember. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I do NOT intend to offend any race, gender, and such forth. It's simply a story, and I do not withhold any opinions that would lead to hatred towards any of these things._

_**Author's Note:**_ I've spent quite some time since the last Epilogue was posted, and I realized something; everyone was right. I had worn myself down, had sat there and just wanted to end the series that I had spent a lot of time on. What started an idea the moment I left the theaters from seeing the movie suddenly spiraled into an ending that I wasn't happy with even when I had posted it. Some people liked it; they liked the unexplained things and the mystery to it. But quite honestly? The more I've reread it and the more I've watched the movie, the more I wasn't happy with it at all. So with time to actually sit down and write it with inspiration, I decided to give the story a proper ending. I did leave the original epilogue up, but it's truly the Alternative one, not this one. This is the true ending to this side of the story, and now comes the important part:

_**If you guys read, please leave comments about the new ending. I'm planning a sequel based off of this, but only if anybody is still actually interested in the story. So comments dictate that, and I hope you guys enjoy. I look forward to seeing reviews :)**_

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__Sunlight filtered out against the horizon, delving deep back into the sky as rain chased away its happiness. Rickety wheels tumbled over uneven lands, leaving the passengers tumbling and ready to fall at any moment. But feet firmly planted themselves in the ground, keeping everything firmly in place as the world kept spinning despite the seemingly ending that fitted itself in the pit of their stomachs. A hard swallow echoed around the truck without another bounce of the wheels, blank eyes staring at the passing scenery as the cinema was all but a lost memory inside fragile minds.

No words were spoken for nearly half an hour; twenty more minutes and they'd be nearing the boarder and closer to home. But it didn't feel like a job well done; the Congressional Medal of Honor seemed undeserved as the events that had played out so quickly now seemed frozen in time. Failure stormed every thought, clouded it over until it was drowning in a sea of fire. He had gone in with so many men, had known their chances, but somehow the outcome of only he and Utivich standing in the end seemed so much more bitter than what he had ever imagined.

Donny and Omar were lying in the rubble, if there was anything even left. Hugo, Wilhelm…they were gone from a rendezvous that he had known shouldn't have happened. He had felt it in his stomach and yet he sent them to fight, had the persuasion of a man that had just flown himself in from Britain. The 'superior' soldier had given himself up, had sat there and given himself away on the drop of a dime and ruined everything. Good soldier's didn't make it long enough to see the ending of what they had worked so hard for, had put their bodies on the line for.

And then it all came halting down to the haunting face that danced behind Aldo's eyes whenever he closed them. As much as he tried to will her face away, something wouldn't allow him to chase her blue eyes away, allowed him to wallow in his regret. The war was over, and yet he had still come out the loser in the end. An almost unbelievable chuckle rose up in his throat, but he tried to swallow it down before he alerted the last of his sanity the brief moment of weakness. But it still didn't chase her from his mind, the regret building fast and hard in his throat as the brief exchanges flashed in his mind repeatedly.

Shifting uncomfortably and pressing his palms to his eyes until black danced along the edge of his vision, Aldo exhaled noisily and attempted to keep every ounce of his body in check. "Utivich? You ever feel like the world's biggest failure?"

The Private looked up, startled at the sudden change of atmosphere. He had spent so many moments staying quiet and letting his leader brew in peace, but the sudden change in his voice left Utivich completely stunned. It settled into his stomach, washing away the brief moment of victory and leaving guilt in its tide. Allowing his eyes to sweep up the distressed Lieutenant, Smithson Utivich pulled in a deep breath before slowly exhaling, much in the manner his leader had. "Occasionally I do, mostly when I was a kid and back and home."

Aldo nodded briefly before allowing his stare to fixate itself back on the road that was slowly falling way behind them, tire tracks in the aftermath. He tried to picture what kind of chaos Germany would be in once the word of the cinema had hit the news, but even that didn't produce a miniscule smile across his lips. The promise laid heavily across his chest, creating a stranglehold on the beating muscle that he had sheltered in times of the war when boys became men. "I made a promise to 'er last night."

Utivich's eyes slammed up, meeting the sunken mud of Raine's. The stare down continued if only briefly, but it felt like a lifetime in Utivich's mind; he had never seen his fearless leader so vulnerable. Even when Kino was in danger he didn't falter at all, and it left an even sicker feeling in his stomach. If he couldn't rely on Aldo to be stronger than most of the people in the vehicle, who could he rely on? War suddenly became even more real than he wanted to admit, but he sucked the fear down in order to produce a small nod, letting his cotton like tongue slowly roll over his choice of words. "Why'd you do that, Lieutenant? You knew that the outcome would be all of us ending up like Donny and Omar."

The names felt foreign, laden with regret and sorrow that the Private had so carefully tucked away. He could allow himself to mourn his friends once he was safely on American soil, running back into his mother's arms like a good boy, being praised by his father as he inspected the new award his son had achieved. But now still in Germany, even with their fearless leaders long gone, Landa still rode in the front seat, and any form of weakness seemed to put his senses on high end. He had been at war for entirely too long to let his guard down so quickly.

Aldo didn't seem to pay attention to how foreign the two names sounded; they were now just a blur inside his mind, taunting along the name that he was trying so desperately to forget. Her voice rang so clear in his head, pounding like a taunting drum as his palms began to dig into his eyes again. It was laughing, taunting as his sanity threatened to snap in two, a low growl of frustration escaping his lips as his fingers left miniscule crescents in his forehead. "She didn't have no part bein' in that war. She was just lookin' fer escape."

"She found it though, Aldo." He wasn't sure if it was wise to use his first name or the memory that seemed too fresh, and the second their eyes locked Utivich regretted it. Aldo's scowl penetrated his mind, digging into the depths of his mind that he wasn't even aware he had. But he tried to remain passive, tried to be the braver of the two as he tried to welcome the warm thoughts of being home once again. That seemed to be the furthest thing from Aldo's mind, and the young Private half expected him to leap out of the truck and run back towards the radio station.

"She ain't dead, Utivich, I know it. Landa ain't that good an actor," a certain amount of desperation was beginning to build in the man's eyes, and it frightened Utivich. He had seen it entirely too many times before; it was that same look a naive boy gave his first girlfriend while she broke up with him, declaring that there was no way to work it out. There was always something hidden in those words, something that would make the boy try just that much harder, and it sent a chill down his spine seeing it in his leaders eyes.

"Will all do respect sir, you were there. There's no other way-"

"He easily could've slipped 'er out the back door 'er something. Utivich, it can't be that easy. When has Landa ever been easy?" A fierce tone was hidden beneath the façade of calm, and he had to collect himself for a moment before turning his eyes to his Private who looked more than a little bewildered. It left him dry and hung up, eyes meshing together in a desperation that he could only hope the boy understood. He had come so far, had given up entirely too many soldiers' lives that could've been prevented, and he wasn't ready to let it end with another notch on his belt. There was no honor in it, and it was already ripping his sanity in two as the border was within a mile's reach, the truck slowing down even more as his entire body shook in exhaustion.

Five hundred feet and they would be stopping, exchanging positions and putting Landa in his delirious façade as a prisoner. He had one shot to make something happen, to strike fear into the once proud Jew Hunter. Fingers tightening around his pants leg momentarily, Aldo gave one brief glance at Utivich and then back to the border that was gaining rapidly. The trees were becoming denser, and he inhaled the fresher air as his head cleared momentarily. "We's gunna change the plans, Utivich. You's gunna handcuff 'em after we get our possessions back. I'm gunna shoot Hermann, you's gunna scalp him, and we's gunna give Landa a little somethin' he can't take off on his nice little piece of land."

Utivich's bewildered look barreled into Aldo's mind, but his determination was far too great to take as careful of care as he normally could. The truck rattled to a stop, and one more exchange was shared with their eyes before they carefully were escorted out, possessions exchanged and pistols fired. Knees straddling the once proud German Colonel, screams of pain and fear filled the air, new scalped added to Utivich's belt and Aldo's debt eased. A sharp exhale filled the air as the knife was finally taken away, tears of pain brimming up in Landa's eyes as the two men exchanged a headed gaze, two leaders threatening the other to look away in a moment of weakness. But something ignited in Landa's as he stared up at the American leader, a smug smirk on his face as his trembling lips bored into his mind.

Leaning down closer to his ear, Aldo kept the exchange private from the boy walking back towards the trees a bit, giving his leader a moment of privacy. Smirking slightly as Utivich disappeared behind the tree line, Aldo's brown eyes bore into Landa's, breath catching in the German's chest. "I'm gunna have a helluva time fuckin' the shit out of yer daughter once I find her."

He pulled away quickly, eyes catching Landa's once more as pure hatred shown through. The smug smirk grew more as he watched the German's eyes work quickly, attempting to cover up an emotion that was better concealed. A bubble of hope washed away the other casualties of war if only for a brief moment, Utivich appearing from the trees once he was sure it was safe. Hauling up the new prisoner, the two loaded Landa into the back of the truck, Aldo's smirk never leaving his face.

Giving the German a heated look as Utivich trailed off towards the front of the vehicle, Aldo gripped the sides of the truck momentarily. Hate and fear filled eyes stared down the Apache, truly terrified for a brief moment now that the weakness had shown through. "Knew you didn't have it in ya. I'll send my regards; I'm sure she'll be glad to know daddy dearest is a Nazi forever."

The sputtering was the last thing that hit Aldo's ears before he walked away, slamming the rusty truck door as he glanced over at the worn out solider next to him. Timidly shifting around before laying his head against the window, the faithful boy glanced over quickly. "So what now, Lieutenant?"

Aldo shifted the truck into gear before pulling across the border, smirking and hitting every rock and rut he could find on the road. Glancing over at Utivich briefly, he let a smile set onto his face. "We go home and wait for it to cool down, son. Then I'm heading back within a year if she don't rear her head in the South."

Utivich raised an eyebrow in question at his commander's statement, but said nothing. Allowing his eyes to close briefly, the exhausted solider left his plotting leader to his plans, allowing his world to slip to black and dreams of an awaiting homecoming party.


End file.
